Slave Soldier
by Xj9
Summary: Goku and Frieza die during the explosion of planet Namek. Vegeta leaves to claim his place as ruler of the universe and comes back years later to recruit Gohan. Gohan refuses and is confronted with a choice: Either join Vegeta as a soldier or as a slave.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! **

**This is the new version of the 'personal slave' story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz.**

**Chapter 1. Ghosts from the past.**

"I am sorry, Gohan." Bulma whispered as she looked at the small Saiyan. "Your father didn't make it." Bulma looked down and tried to fight the tears forming in her eyes. Gohan shook his head and sank through his knees.

"No, dad." He whispered softly. Piccolo knelt down and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Gohan." Piccolo said as he watched the half-Saiyan shook his head slowly.

"Tssk, save it. He was a waste of space." Vegeta said as he got up. The man stalked closer as he spoke. "He did his job and killed Freeza. And with that he even got himself killed. I am very thankful." Vegeta continued with a smirk. "It saved me the job of killing him myself."

Gohan jumped up. "Shut up!" He yelled at the older Saiyan. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and stepped toward the half-Saiyan. Piccolo narrowed his eyes and mentally prepared himself for a possible fight. Vegeta placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward.

"What was that, little runt?" He asked as he towered over Gohan. The half-Saiyan clenched his fists. "You should fear your own life right now, brat. I could kill you without even lifting a finger. Maybe I should do just that." Vegeta smirked as a terrified expression appeared on Gohan's face.

"I have to get rid of this planet anyway. Why not I kill you along with it?" He asked amused. Gohan frowned and gritted his teeth. Vegeta chuckled. "Don't worry, Kiddo. I won't kill you just yet. You are a part of my race and I need someone like you. You can do all my dirty work when we are on the ship." Vegeta continued as he reached out and pushed Gohan's chin up with one finger. "Yes, you would be perfect for that."

Gohan smacked his hand away and growled. "I would never do anything for you!" Gohan yelled back. "You will have to fight me." He continued as he got in a fighting stance.

Vegeta laughed. "If I fight you I might accidentally kill you." He said as he got in a fighting stance. "Are you sure you want to take that chance?" He taunted.

Gohan frowned and attacked him. The two Saiyans fought their hardest but Vegeta quickly gained the upper hand. The Namekian villagers and Bulma looked up in the sky as the two Saiyans flew up. Vegeta managed the get a hold of the younger Saiyan and attacked the half-Saiyan with punches and kicks. Gohan managed to block a few punches, but several made it to their target. Vegeta released the half-Saiyan and Gohan slumped in the air. Vegeta created a blast and, before Gohan could look up, fired it. The half-Saiyan was hit and forced to the ground. There Vegeta landed close to him. Gohan slowly got up and got in a fighting stance. Vegeta smirked as Gohan attacked him again. The man swatted the first attack away but didn't manage to do the same thing with the second attack. Gohan handed out a vicious punch in Vegeta's stomach. The man growled and stumbled back. "That's it, runt. You got your chance to survive and blew it. Now I am going to kill you." Vegeta yelled at him.

The man launched at Gohan but was forced back. He frowned at Piccolo, who was standing in front of Gohan. "Leave him alone." Piccolo growled at the Saiyan. Vegeta narrowed his eyes.

After this he looked at Gohan. "I'm not done with you yet, boy. I will come back and you all will sorry." With one last glare at Piccolo, Vegeta jumped in the air and disappeared. Gohan bit his lip and looked up at his mentor.

"What do you think he is going to do, Piccolo?" He asked. The Namek was still staring in the sky and frowned.

"I don't know, Gohan. I don't know."

**() **** **** ()**

**6 years later. **

A young boy with black hair was racing through the air. The boy looked at his watch and bit his lip. "I am going to be late…" He muttered as he continued his way toward a school building. In front of the building his mother was waiting. She crossed her arms over her blue suit and frowned at the young Saiyan.

" Gohan! Where were you?" She asked sternly as Gohan walked closer. "Look at yourself. Your clothes are ruffled and dirty." Gohan looked down at his blue shirt and black pants. They were a little wrinkly but there was nothing wrong with them. Gohan looked up again as Chi-chi knelt down and organized his clothing.

"Sorry mom." Gohan answered softly as Chi-chi got up again. She smiled and tousled his long hair.

"Don't worry about it, Gohan. Now let's focus on getting you into this school." Chi-chi answered as she walked towards the high brown building. Gohan looked up at it.

"Mom, are you sure about this?" He asked hesitantly. "I could easily stay at home and study there. I don't know if it is such a good idea to go to school." He continued as he eyed the building. "And Vegeta is still out there. We don't know when he…"

"Don't worry, Gohan." Chi-chi answered with a smile as they approached the door. "You are going to be fine. Vegeta won't show up for a while and why would he go for you if he came here?" She continued. "You are just a boy. Vegeta will probably attack Piccolo and Piccolo will destroy him. That's that."

Gohan looked down. _'I wish I could believe that.' _He thought sadly. The two walked inside. A few hours later Chi-chi was walking out, her fists clenched at her side. Gohan was walking behind her and he was looking down in shame.

"Gohan! You have really done it this time!" She yelled at him once they got in a car. Chi-chi decided to learn how to drive when they found out Goku really died and wanted to stay in heaven.

"You told me to be honest when they ask a question!" Gohan answered accusingly. Chi-chi gave him an angry look and the half-Saiyan bit his lip. "Sorry mom." He answered softly. Chi-chi nodded approvingly before she started up the engine.

"I know I told you to answer the questions truthfully but if they ask you why you didn't go to kindergarten, you can lie, okay." She asked tiredly. "You can't tell them that you spent a year living in the woods!"

"You told me to tell the truth!" Gohan accused again.

"I know! But they will think you are crazy if you keep talking about aliens and warriors." Chi-chi answered, raising her voice slightly. Gohan looked down and frowned. "Gohan, I don't want to be mad at you." Chi-chi continued with a frown. "If you tell them that you spent a year in the woods, without me…They'll take you away from me. They will think I can't take care of you properly. Do you want that to happen?" She asked him. The eleven-year-old shook his head.

"Let's just forget about it, okay?" Chi-chi asked as she patted the half-Saiyan on the head. Gohan nodded slightly and a silence fell over the two. They reached the house where Chi-chi told Gohan to go to his room and study. Gohan shook his head and followed her into the kitchen.

"Mom. I have to go to Piccolo." Gohan whined as Chi-chi placed the groceries on the counter. "It's four o'clock. I am already late. I have to leave now or Piccolo is going to be mad at me." Gohan continued.

Chi-chi turned around and groaned. "Can't you miss one training session with Piccolo?" She asked.

Gohan shook his head frantically. "No! What if Vegeta comes back tomorrow and I am not ready to face him because I missed today's exercises?" He asked frowning.

Chi-chi tilted her head as she watched her son tap on the floor with his foot. "You are obsessed with Vegeta." She muttered. After this she walked closer and knelt down in front of him. "Gohan, what is going on?" She asked then. "Since Vegeta left you have been scared to death of him coming back. Did he threaten you or something?"

Gohan looked down. "Sort of." He answered hesitantly. "I know he will come back, mom. If not for me, he will come to kill Piccolo. And I want to help Piccolo if Vegeta shows up. So I will have to face him anyway. When I do I want to be at my strongest." Gohan continued as a fire appeared in his eyes. Chi-chi smiled – seeing her son like this reminded her of her husband when he was younger. She got up and crossed her arms.

"I guess there is nothing I can say to convince you. Don't make it too late, okay?" She asked as she turned around.

Gohan grinned and nodded. "Thanks mom!" Gohan yelled before he raced to his room and changed into his dark-blue gi with a red sash. The half-Saiyan pulled on his dark brown shoes and jumped up. After this he climbed out the window and blasted off to his mentor.

Piccolo was floating on his usual spot near the waterfall. Gohan floated next to him and smiled. "Hello Mister Piccolo!" He said as he floated closer.

The Namek looked up. His white cape was floating behind him because of the wind that was caused by the waterfall. "Hi kid." Piccolo answered as he uncrossed his arms and turned to the half-Saiyan. "Are you ready for today's challenge?" Gohan nodded eagerly.

"Okay. We're going to play a game which you humans call hide and seek." Piccolo started as he powered up. "You have to lower your power-level so I can't find you. I'll do the same and we'll try to sneak up on each other, okay? The one who manages to sneak up on the other without being noticed wins."

Gohan grinned. "Okay. I am ready to go!" Gohan punched in the air in excitement. After this he followed Piccolo to the woods where the two lowered their power-levels and spread out. Gohan hid in the bushes and concentrated. The boy closed his eyes while he tried to feel Piccolo's life-force. Gohan opened his eyes when he heard a rustle in the bushes near him. The half-Saiyan silently crawled away and tried not to make too much noise while doing that.

He whirled around when he heard something behind him. Nothing. Gohan took a deep breath. A twig cracked near him and the boy turned around again. Gohan narrowed his eyes and forced himself to breathe normally. A hand landed on his shoulder and Gohan turned around again. Piccolo was right behind him and punched him right against the cheek. Gohan was forced to the ground and pouted slightly. "You won." He muttered as he got up. Piccolo immediately powered up and charged at the half-Saiyan.

**() **** **** ()**

A big ship was making its way through the Northern quatrain. Inside the ship several aliens were running around and working hard in the control room. A man with flame-like black hair walked in the room. Everyone immediately sat straight as he walked by. He was followed by a female of about his age. She had long black hair that fell down her back and waved as she walked.

"How long before we reach our destination?" Vegeta asked as he crossed his arms over his black armor.

"It will take us approximately three days to land on the planet, Lord Vegeta." One of the small green-colored aliens answered. Vegeta frowned at the big windows in front of him. The aliens were sitting below the windows and all had their own machines, buttons, screens and desks to work with.

"Why do we have to go to that planet?" The female whined as she leaned against Vegeta's shoulder with her head.

"I have some unfinished business on that planet." Vegeta answered shortly.

"Can't you just destroy the planet?" The girl asked as she brushed over her black dress and tapped against the ground with her black boot. She looked around the room and widened her bright blue eyes when she noticed the colorful screen on the right. She tilted her head and walked toward it but was held back after she took a few steps. She looked at her wrist where a thin blue ki-line was tied around her flesh. Vegeta was still looking outside and the man was the one holding the rope. He tugged at it and she stepped closer to him again. "Let me go." She snarled at him.

"No." Vegeta answered shortly as a smirk tugged at his lips. "You're staying right here so you can't mess anything up. I want to reach that planet as soon as possible." Vegeta continued as he pulled on the rope again.

The female stepped closer again and frowned at him. "You'd better let me go or I will scream." She threatened.

"You'd better not do that." Vegeta snarled back at her. The female tilted her head and smiled innocently. She then took a deep breath and opened her mouth. Before she could get any sound out Vegeta placed her hand over her mouth. "I said no." Vegeta said frowning. "Let's get you back to our room." He continued as he turned around and started walking, pulling the female with him. "I want to land on that planet in two days."

"But sir!" One of the aliens said as he got up. "We said it would take three days to get there."

"I want to be there in two days or you'll be sorry!" Vegeta screamed back. The female snickered as she followed him.

"They're not going to listen to you." She said as she followed him to their room. Vegeta opened the door and motioned for her to walk in. She did this and Vegeta closed the door behind him. After this he stepped closer to her and smirked at her.

"Good thing you still have to listen to me." He answered as he ran a finger over her cheek.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "You make our relationship sound so romantic, Vegeta darling." She answered as she clenched her fists. Vegeta brushed through her hair and turned around.

"Stay here." He said as he opened the door. After that he closed the door behind him and locked it. The female tried to open the door and growled. After this she turned around and let herself fall on the bed. Vegeta was back in the control room in seconds and stared out the window. "Watch out, brat. Here comes trouble." He muttered under his breath.

**() **** **** () **

"Come on, Gohan." Piccolo growled as the two exchanged punches and kicks. "I know you can do better than that!" Piccolo continued when he caught Gohan's fist. He tightened his grip and whirled the half-Saiyan around. After this he let gravity do the rest and Gohan was launched away. Piccolo watched as Gohan landed somewhere in the woods. Gohan groaned as he landed on the ground and rolled on his stomach.

Piccolo's boot landed on the ground next to him. Gohan jumped up to avoid getting kicked in the air again and charged at his trainer once more. Gohan frowned as Piccolo blocked and dodged his attacks without too much trouble. Piccolo leaned back to avoid a punch and punched Gohan in the stomach. The boy gasped and Piccolo took this opportunity to elbow him in the back of his neck. Gohan landed on the ground again and tried to push himself up. Piccolo frowned and crossed his arms. "We are done for today." He announced as he turned around and walked away.

Gohan sighed. "I'm never going to be strong enough to fight Vegeta, am I?" He whispered as he managed to push himself up.

Piccolo stopped walking and thought about that statement. "Vegeta is a very strong enemy, Gohan. Neither you nor I can ever think of defeating him by ourselves. The only thing we can do is train and get stronger so that we can hold him off longer." Piccolo answered before he lifted off the ground. "I'll see you tomorrow Gohan. You did a good job today."

Gohan smiled slightly as Piccolo flew up and disappeared in the night sky. The half-Saiyan looked at the dark sky and bit his lip. His mother was going to kill him for coming home so late. Gohan quickly jumped in the air and raced home as fast as his injured body could fly. The boy touched the ground in front of his house and ran inside.

"Mom!" He yelled as he walked in closer. The half-Saiyan walked in his room and grabbed his pajamas. "I'll get in the shower and then I'll start on my homework okay? I'm sorry for being so late!" He yelled as he ran to the bathroom. The half-Saiyan pulled the elastic out of his long spiky hair.

He quickly jumped in the shower and prepared for bed. Chi-chi met up with him in his bedroom. The female was sitting on his bed as she watched Gohan walk in. "There you are." Gohan said with a smile. He sat down on the bed too. "Is something wrong?" He asked when he noticed his mother's expression.

"No. Nothing is wrong." Chi-chi said with a smile. She brushed through Gohan's hair. "I was just thinking you were growing up so fast. You're going to school tomorrow. Ready to face the world without me."

Gohan rolled his eyes as a small smile appeared on his face. "I hope the school is nice. I don't know what to do there though. You tell me I have to suppress my power but I don't know if I can do that."

"I bet you can. Now let's go to bed. You need a good night sleep for your first day at school tomorrow." Chi-chi said as she got up and grabbed the sheets to pull them down. Gohan got up and got in the bed. Chi-chi gently covered his body with the sheets and leaned over to press a kiss on his forehead. "Good night, Gohan." She whispered as he got up.

"Good night, mom." Gohan answered as he watched her walk out the room. The boy sighed as he shifted in the bed and eyed the white ceiling of his room. He thought about the last six years. He'd been training with Piccolo every day but he felt like he wasn't improving. He was optimistic in the beginning but as the years passed Gohan started wondering if Vegeta would be coming back at all. Piccolo kept saying that they should always be prepared just in case Vegeta was planning to attack the planet. Gohan wondered if he was strong enough to fight Vegeta. He knew he couldn't defeat him. Vegeta had been training too. He knew it.

Gohan found his sleep several hours later and was woken up by his alarm clock too early, in his opinion. The half-saiyan crawled out of his bed and got ready for school. Chi-chi was found in the kitchen. "Gohan. Hurry up. You're going to be late for your first day of school."

"I have enough time, mom. I can be there within twenty minutes." Gohan answered as he sat down at the table. Chi-chi placed a plate in front of him and sat down to have breakfast too.

"Are you nervous?" Chi-chi asked as she smoothed the wrinkles in her blue dress.

Gohan looked up. "I have been through worse things than a first day of school. I'm not really nervous." He answered innocently.

Chi-chi tousled his hair. "I hope you'll have a great day." She said.

"I just hope I won't get too much homework. I still have to find time to train with Piccolo after school." Gohan muttered worriedly.

"I think you should slow down your training." Chi-chi answered. "It's been six years and nothing happened. I don't think that Vegeta is still coming here. He would have come here earlier, don't you think?"

"I don't know. Piccolo says I should always be ready." Gohan answered. "As long as he is still alive he can attack the planet."

Chi-chi sighed as she got up. "I'll never win that battle, will I? Piccolo is always right." She complained as she walked to the kitchen.

"That's not true." Gohan answered as he got up too. He placed his plate in the sink and smiled up at his mother. "Piccolo is just very vigilant. That's nice, right? To have someone who keeps an eye on us like that?"

Chi-chi smiled and nodded. "Yes. That's definitely nice." She answered with a smile. Gohan grinned back at her and grabbed his bag.

"I'm leaving." Gohan said as he walked to the door. "Bye mom!" He heard his mother's answer and walked out the door. Gohan closed the door behind him and jumped in the air. While he was flying there he suddenly noticed a high power level flying toward him.

"Good morning, mister Piccolo." Gohan yelled as he waved. Piccolo appeared next to him and the man crossed his arms as he was flying.

"Where are you going?" Piccolo asked gruffly.

"I'm going to school." Gohan answered. "It's my first day."

"Pay attention to your surroundings. Be careful. Something is going to happen today. I can feel it." Piccolo said as his eyes moved around to keep everything in sight.

Gohan nodded. "Do you think it's Vegeta?" He asked as he looked around.

"I don't know." Piccolo answered frowning. "Just be careful. We don't know who they'll go to first. You are an interesting target. You're one of the strongest warriors on the planet."

"I intend to be that." Gohan answered with a smirk. "I'll keep an eye on everything." He said after that. Piccolo nodded and put his hand up as his sort of a wave before he flew off. Gohan watched him go and smiled slightly. He sighed and looked forward again.

Gohan landed on the outskirts of the city where his school was. The boy decided to take the rest of the journey by foot. His mother told him to hide his powers. Within ten minutes Gohan was standing in front of a large building. "So this is what middle school is about." The eleven-year-old muttered as he eyed the building. The building had a brownish color and large windows were spread over the stone building. Gohan walked through the open entrance of the fence and looked around the large area where kids were spread everywhere. Groups of children were talking and some were running around. Older teenagers gave disdainful glances to the younger students. Gohan smiled as he thought that this was the first time he was surrounded by people his age.

Gohan made his way to the building and looked for the secretary's office. There he got his schedule and other necessary papers. He was led to a classroom where a group of children was already standing. They were probably waiting for the teacher to open the door. Gohan decided to wait there and observed his schedule. He wondered how much he already knew about the subjects he was about to be introduced to.

"Hi there. Are you new here?" Gohan looked up to meet two deep-blue eyes. A girl with blonde hair in two braids was smiling back at him. She was wearing a white shirt with a black star on it. Her pants were slightly too big for her and dragged over the ground as she walked.

"Yes." Gohan answered. "I'm Gohan." He held out his hand and she took it.

"Senna." The girl introduced herself. "This term started two weeks ago. Aren't you a little late?" She asked.

"Yes. We had some problems getting in." Gohan answered with a small smile as he thought about the meetings his mother attended for him. He usually didn't show up because Piccolo kept him from doing anything else than training.

"You'll have some catching up to do." Senna said as the teacher walked closer and opened the door. "But that's okay. I can help you."

"Thanks. That's nice." Gohan answered as he grabbed the bag from the ground. The boy brushed over his black pants and straightened his blue shirt. After this he followed Senna inside. Senna met up with her friends while Gohan sat down. He noticed Senna pointed at him and her friends giggled. Gohan raised an eyebrow but decided not to think about it too much.

The class started and Gohan quickly noticed he was far ahead of the rest of the class. He sighed as the class continued and he watched the teacher write down things he already knew on the board. The half-saiyan scribbled a few things on the paper and drew out a new technique he'd just learned from Piccolo.

The half-saiyan didn't notice it when the door opened. "Good day, sir. We're in the middle of a class. Do you need to speak to a student?" The teacher asked as she eyed he newcomer.

Students looked up and whispers were heard. Gohan rolled his eyes as he heard the different stories and philosophies going around. Kids had too much imagination. "Yes. I need to speak to one of your students." Gohan heard the voice and didn't think anything of it at first.

"Which student, sir?"

"The hybrid." Gohan widened his eyes as his pen froze above his paper. The half-saiyan looked up and gasped.

"Hello, boy. Did you miss me?" Vegeta was standing in front of the classroom and grinned at the half-saiyan.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it ^.^**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with another chapter. I hope you're all still here to read it ^.^**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter 2. Vegeta's assault.**

"Hello, boy. Missed me?" Vegeta asked as he grinned at the half-saiyan.

Gohan got up. "Vegeta." He breathed out. The students all gave him curious glances. It wasn't every day that they saw a man in a black bodysuit and a strange armor walking in the classroom.

"It's good to see you still know my name." Vegeta's white gloves traced over the desk of the teacher. Gohan's heartbeat sped up as Vegeta slowly made his way towards him. His finger traced over the tables he passed. His white boots tapped loudly in the silent classroom.

Gohan swallowed heavily. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a frown.

The teacher frowned. "Sir. It's obvious that the boy doesn't want you here. I suggest you leave." She said as she stepped forwards. "Or I'll call the police."

Vegeta ignored her and ended up in front of the half-saiyan. The man's eyes moved over the blue shirt and black pants Gohan was wearing. The shirt was loosely hanging over Gohan's torso but Vegeta didn't miss the outline of Gohan's trained body under it. Gohan stepped back. "You've been training. Were you preparing for my arrival?"

Gohan frowned at him. "Let's leave this place." He answered. "We'll fight this out somewhere else."

"Where is the fun in that?" Vegeta sneered before he pulled back a fist. Gohan gasped and dived under the fist. He jumped up to avoid a kick and shot in the air. He nearly bumped into the ceiling and pushed his body back to the ground.

Vegeta extended a hand and blasted a hole in the ceiling. He appeared in front of Gohan and before Gohan could react he grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him up. Vegeta shot through the hole in the ceiling and ended up high in the sky.

He released Gohan and pushed the half-saiyan away. Gohan gave him a confused glance but widened his eyes when Vegeta extended his hand to the building. "Bang." The blast was sent and the school exploded on impact. Gohan shielded his eyes from the light created by the explosion.

"How could you do that?" Gohan yelled at Vegeta as he lowered his arms. "They've never done anything to you."

Vegeta smirked as he powered up. "They were in the way." He answered.

"How dare you." Gohan growled back as he narrowed his eyes. Vegeta extended his hand to another building and fired. "HEY!" Gohan yelled. Vegeta sent another blast." Stop that! You can't do this." Gohan clenched his shaking fists.

"Then stop me." Vegeta answered as he sent another blast.

Gohan bit his lip and wondered what he was supposed to do. He wasn't strong enough to fight Vegeta. At least, he thought he wasn't strong enough. _'Should I wait for Piccolo?' _Vegeta sent another blast and Gohan narrowed his eyes.

Vegeta was preparing another blast but didn't send it this time. Gohan appeared in front of him and knocked Vegeta's hand up. The blast shot in the air and disappeared out of sight. "Stop that." Gohan said before he powered up. Vegeta pulled his fist away and smirked at him.

"Look who decided to show some spirit." Vegeta sneered as he moved back.

"Why are you here?" Gohan snarled at him. "Did you come here to destroy earth? You won't succeed."

Vegeta tilted his head. "I did come here to kill you and destroy planet earth but you just changed my mind." He said as an idea developed in his mind.

"What?" Gohan asked as he flew back a bit.

"I was bored. That's why I came here. I wanted to have some fun and destroy the planet but I changed my mind." Vegeta powered up. "I'm going to take you with me."

"What?" Gohan exclaimed again. He got in a fighting stance. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh come on. I'm going to destroy the planet. You don't have a choice." Vegeta answered as he eyed Gohan's stance.

"I'd rather die." Gohan snarled back at him. The half-saiyan gave a yell and attacked him. Vegeta dived out of the way of a punch and blocked a second punch. The man laughed as he flew up and Gohan shot after him. The half-saiyan growled as he tried to land a punch on Vegeta's body but the man was too fast for him. Every time he tried to punch he'd either hit the air or he was blocked.

Vegeta suddenly caught Gohan's fist. Gohan froze and looked up at him. "Now it's my turn." Vegeta said before he pulled Gohan closer. The half-saiyan could only blink before a fist hit his cheek harshly. Vegeta moved his leg up to kick the teenager but Gohan blocked this kick. Vegeta anticipated this movement and released Gohan's fist to grab the back of his uniform. Gohan was pulled back and Vegeta tossed him through the air.

The half-saiyan tried to stop his body in time but Vegeta was already waiting for him. The older saiyan kicked Gohan right up in the air and appeared above him to slam him down again. The man flew down to catch him again but Gohan whirled around in the air and kicked against Vegeta's cheek. The boy was panting slightly as he watched Vegeta regain his posture.

"Are you having fun, boy?" Vegeta asked as he eyed the bruised up saiyan.

Gohan frowned at him and wondered where Piccolo was and why it was taking him so long to get here. The half-saiyan silently hoped his father would suddenly show up and help him out. He knew that wasn't an option though.

Gohan frowned as he watched Vegeta float closer. "Stay there." Gohan yelled as he stretched out his hand.

"No. No. No." Vegeta sneered as he floated closer. "You are going to take orders from me. It won't be the other way around." He watched as Gohan floated back again and suddenly took off.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he watched Gohan fly away. The man growled in annoyance as he followed the half-saiyan. He appeared next to Gohan. "Are you running away? That's not a good saiyan feature." He sneered.

Gohan widened his eyes and immediately changed directions. Vegeta frowned and appeared in front of him. "Where do you think you are going?"

Gohan swallowed heavily and got in a fighting stance. Vegeta smirked and mimicked his movements. Gohan blinked and blocked a punch from Vegeta. The half-saiyan moved back in panic as a kick made its way to his left arm. Gohan blocked this attack and moved his leg up to block a second kick. Gohan tried to protect his body as well as possible but Vegeta's attacks managed to push through his defense more than once.

Vegeta pulled back a fist and a second later Gohan was pushed back. The half-saiyan rubbed over his painful chin and watched as Vegeta powered up. Gohan floated back to create some more distant between them. The gap between them was quite large but Gohan knew Vegeta could be with him in a second. Vegeta tilted his head and eyed the half-saiyan with interest. The man stretched out his hands and two ki-blasts were created in his palms.

Gohan widened his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself from the blast that was spiraling toward him. The half-saiyan didn't expect the two blasts to wrap around his separate wrists. Gohan looked at his bounded wrist and tried to pull himself free. Vegeta smirked as he tightened his grip on the ki-ropes that were connected to Gohan's wrists.

"What are you doing?" Gohan yelled at him as he frantically moved his arms trying to pull his arms free.

"I'm catching you." Vegeta yelled back. The man had the time of his life as he watched Gohan's desperation at the fact that he couldn't free his arms. Vegeta pulled on the right rope and Gohan's arm shot towards him. The man chuckled as he pulled on the left rope and got the same result. Gohan growled and clenched his fists. He pulled back and Vegeta was forced to float towards him.

"Oh. You're going to regret that." Vegeta hissed as he powered up. The man gave a pull on the rope and Gohan was launched in the air. Vegeta flew closer to the ground and slammed Gohan down on it. The half-saiyan gasped as he landed on the ground. His damaged skin from the stone ground didn't get any time to rest as Vegeta pulled him out of the ground. The man launched Gohan up in the air just to slam him down on the ground again.

Just as Vegeta threw Gohan's body in the air again, Gohan whirled around and powered up to pull on the ropes. He managed to overpower the force Vegeta was putting into it and the older Saiyan was thrown through the air. Vegeta didn't let go of the ropes and pulled on them too. He launched Gohan up but Gohan fought back and launched Vegeta to the right. They continued to throw each other around for a while until Gohan tossed Vegeta against a large mountain.

Vegeta pushed his body away from the rocks and growled. The man looked up in the air. "I don't have time for this." He muttered as he looked up at Gohan again. The half-saiyan was trying to push his fingers under the bonds around his wrists. Vegeta tightened his grip on the ropes and gave a pull on them. Gohan looked up as his arms were forced to stretch. Vegeta pushed the two ropes together and Gohan's wrists were pressed against each other. Before he knew what was going on Vegeta was twirling the unified ropes in circles and the rope moved it's way around Gohan's body until it was wrapped around his body entirely.

Vegeta pulled the bounded half-saiyan closer and smirked at his handiwork. The ki-rope was curling around Gohan's legs, stomach and chest. Vegeta grabbed Gohan's bounded wrists and forced the teenager to open his hands and pushed them up against each other. After this he wrapped another small ki-rope around his hands. "This will keep you from blasting your way out." Vegeta muttered before he grabbed the rope and floated to the ground with the half-saiyan.

Vegeta found a large tree and pushed Gohan's against it. The half-saiyan tried to jump away but Vegeta pushed him back almost immediately. "Let me go!" Gohan yelled at him. Vegeta produced another ki-rope and wrapped it around the tree a few times with Gohan still leaning against it. Gohan was tied to the tree within seconds.

Vegeta stepped back and eyed Gohan for a few seconds as he tried to find a weakness in his own work. "Why are you doing this?" Gohan asked him as he looked up.

Vegeta smirked. "I don't want you to get involved." Vegeta answered before he floated up.

"Get involved in what?" Gohan yelled. He got his answer within seconds. Piccolo appeared at the horizon. "Piccolo!" Gohan yelled as he looked up.

"Stay there Gohan." Piccolo answered without looking.

Vegeta laughed. "He hasn't got much of a choice." He sneered as he powered up. "So, let me guess. You are here to stop me from doing whatever bad thing I am about to do."

"Exactly." Piccolo answered as he got rid of his cape and hat.

"Well. You are wrong. I am here to save that boy from a terrible fate." Vegeta answered as he pointed to Gohan. "You see, the planet will be destroyed soon."

"Really? By what?" Piccolo asked as his eyes shot down to Gohan.

"By me." Vegeta hissed before he attacked. Piccolo looked up and dived out of the way of a first punch. The Namekian warrior moved up as he blocked a second punch. Vegeta attacked him with quick and furious punches and kicks. His attacks nearly landed and they left bruises on Piccolo's arms.

Vegeta scrutinized Piccolo's every move as their battle waged on. They never really fought before and he was always in for a challenge. This was the main reason he made sure Gohan wouldn't interfere. He wanted to fight Piccolo on his own.

Piccolo blocked a punch from Vegeta. The Namekian warrior didn't notice the kick that was making its way to his stomach. The Namek doubled over and groaned in pain. Vegeta put his hands together above the Namek's head and punched him down to the ground. "Piccolo!" Gohan yelled as he struggled against the bounds.

Vegeta glanced sideways and, after he made sure Gohan was still tied up, he turned back to Piccolo and watched as the Namekian warrior emerged from the rubble. Vegeta stretched his arms and cracked his neck. Piccolo glared at him. "Why did you come here?" Piccolo asked.

"Isn't that obvious? I have unfinished business on this planet. Initially I came here to kill everyone here but that will be over too soon. I cannot fully enjoy that." Vegeta drawled as he watched Piccolo float closer.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes and suddenly attacked. Vegeta saw it coming and moved his arm up to block the first attack. Piccolo surprised him with a punch to the cheek and Vegeta was pushed away. Piccolo whirled around in the air and kicked Vegeta right into a nearby mountain.

The Namekian warrior didn't waist a second as he raced down to where Gohan was still tied up. The man frowned at the bonds. "Piccolo." Gohan breathed. "I'm sorry. He was so fast. I couldn't…"

"Hush." Piccolo hissed as he placed a hand on the ki-rope. The man groaned as a light appeared between the rope and Piccolo's hands.

"What are you doing?" Gohan whispered.

Piccolo sent him an annoyed glance and concentrated on his job. The man growled as the ki-bonds disappeared. Gohan stepped away from the tree. "What did you do?"

"I absorbed them." Piccolo answered as he looked up in the sky. Vegeta was floating there and he was eying the two warriors with interest. "Gohan. I want you to leave."

"What?" Gohan asked. "No."

"Vegeta is interested in you. I don't know why." Piccolo answered as Vegeta motioned for one of them to attack.

"He said he wanted to take me with him." Gohan answered as he looked from Vegeta to Piccolo.

The Namek looked down at Gohan with wide eyes. "Did he say that?" He asked. Gohan nodded affirmative. "You have to leave right now."

"I'm not leaving!" Gohan yelled back. "I want to help you. He will either kill me or take me away from this planet. What's the difference?"

"Gohan. I want you to listen to me." Piccolo answered as he frowned at his pupil. "You have to leave because you still have to protect your mother. You can make sure everyone is save here. If you can hide, Vegeta may give up after a while and leave the planet."

"What if he doesn't give up? What if he decides to destroy the planet?" Gohan asked with a frown. "I'd rather fight right now than sit around and wait for him to destroy the planet."

"If he decides to destroy the planet you will be strong enough to deflect the blast." Piccolo answered. "Now go."

"What about you?" Gohan asked with a sigh. He didn't want to disobey his mentor but he didn't want to leave him here on his own either.

"Don't worry about me." Piccolo answered. The man looked down and reached out. He gently tousled Gohan's hair. "You are a very strong warrior. I'm proud of what you have become." He said with a small smile.

Gohan smiled back. "Fine. I'll go. But I want you to stay alive, okay? You can beat him. I know you can."

"Go kid." Piccolo ordered. Gohan nodded and jumped in the air. Piccolo watched him go and turned his sights to the Saiyan warrior in the air. Vegeta was watching as Gohan flew away. Piccolo showed up in the air.

"You sent the boy away." Vegeta observed. "Are you afraid I am going to win?" He sneered. "You should be."

"This fight is between you and me." Piccolo answered as he powered up.

"It's okay. I'm in for a little cat and mouse game after I finish beating you into a pulp." Vegeta said as his eyes followed the dot that indicated the half-saiyan. The man smirked at Piccolo. "Are you ready for round two?"

Piccolo frowned and launched at the Saiyan. He lashed out and tried to kick the saiyan. Vegeta dodged the attack and brought his fist up to punch Piccolo in the cheek. Piccolo moved out of the way just in time. They continued to avoid and counter each others attacks. For a while it seemed like they were evenly matched but Piccolo's breathing was going faster than Vegeta's. The Saiyan narrowed his eyes and gave a harsh punch in Piccolo's stomach. The Namekian warrior gasped and didn't even notice the next attack. Vegeta's leg swung towards him and a second later the Namek crushed into a mountain.

Vegeta appeared in front of him. "This was fun." He sneered. "I heard that Namekian warriors can regenerate if you don't hit the vital organs. I'll just rip off your head then." Vegeta grabbed Piccolo's neck but the Namek was faster. He pushed Vegeta's hand away and pushed his knee against Vegeta's stomach. After this he swiped Vegeta's feet away and made the man twist in the air.

Piccolo prepared a blast and sent it. Vegeta was almost hit but dodged it. The Saiyan warrior frowned at Piccolo. "This fight is taking too long." He complained.

Piccolo smirked. "I agree. I should finish you off." He answered.

Vegeta chuckled. "I was just thinking the same thing." He launched at Piccolo and pushed his boot against Piccolo's head. Piccolo grabbed his boot and slammed the Saiyan into the ground. Vegeta pushed off and flipped on his feet. The man sent a blast to Piccolo and smirked when it hit. The Saiyan jumped in the air and fired several brutal attacks on the Namekian warrior. Piccolo hit the ground with a groan and rolled on his stomach. He tried to push his body up but Vegeta's boot landed on his back and pushed him right back.

"You put up a good fight." Vegeta said as he leaned with his knee between Piccolo's shoulder blades. "You made sure that the boy got a fine head start. Don't be too happy about that." Vegeta applied some pressure on Piccolo's shoulders. "I will track him down wherever he is." Vegeta cracked his knuckles as Piccolo tried to push his hands together to prepare a blast. "Good night." The man whispered before he reached out and grabbed Piccolo's head. With one subtle movement he twisted Piccolo's head around and broke his neck.

He hesitated as he stared at Piccolo's lifeless eyes and shrugged. "It can't hurt." He muttered as he grabbed Piccolo's head and ripped it off his body entirely. The man tossed the head on the ground.

Vegeta got up and closed his eyes. "Now… Where are you?" He whispered as his senses spread out world wide. The man concentrated as he tried to sense Gohan's presence. He opened his eyes and smirked.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan was sitting on a branch next to a recently created fire. He warmed his hands and sighed as he wondered what happened on the battlefield. He was trying to follow the happenings but the only thing he noticed was that Piccolo's power level disappeared and Vegeta's level followed shortly after that. He didn't know what that meant. He hoped Piccolo managed to kill Vegeta by hiding his power level but he didn't know why Piccolo would still be hiding his power level if he won the match.

Gohan sighed as he stared up at the small fragments of the sky he could see through the trees. He decided to choose a place in the dark forest so he could make a fire without anyone in the air noticing he was here. The boy looked at the two rabbits he just caught and decided to make something to eat for himself. While he was roasting the first rabbit he didn't notice a dark shadow moving closer. "You've made yourself a nice camp here." A voice sneered.

Gohan widened his eyes and jumped up. He whirled around. "Vegeta!" He yelled. "What happened? Where is Piccolo?"

"Dead." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan felt like a cold hand wrapped around his heart. The half-saiyan tried to find the joke in Vegeta's eyes but there was only a serious glance in them. The boy shook his head as he sank through his knees.

"I can't believe this." He whispered. Vegeta stepped closer and eyed the fire. He ignored the broken teenager and sat down on a branch. Gohan looked up. "What do you want?" Gohan snarled at him. "If you want to kill me then do it."

"You are ruled by your emotions. That's not a strong point." Vegeta observed. The man grabbed one of the dead rabbit and eyed it with interest. He looked at the fire and decided to roast it. Gohan watched as Vegeta made the preparations to roast the food. The boy got up and stepped away from the older Saiyan. "Sit down." Vegeta ordered. Gohan decided it would be best to do what Vegeta said. The boy sat down. "You are skilled in making a fire. " He observed.

"I lived in the woods for six months when I was four." Gohan answered.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." He said as he ripped off a leg. Gohan swallowed heavily. "I have been traveling the universe for quite some time now. I was searching for any more remaining Saiyans. I was hoping there were more like Kakarott." Vegeta said. "There is nobody. There aren't any Saiyans left. Or they are hiding very well."

Gohan shifted on the branch and wondered where this was going. "This showed me how important it is to keep my race in tact. I need to keep the rest of the Saiyans race with me so it can live on."

"The rest of the Saiyan race is me." Gohan said softly.

"Exactly." Vegeta said as he eyed the half-saiyan. "Come with me, boy. If I train you the right way we can be invincible. We can rule the universe together. With you as my second I am sure of victory over …"

"I'm not coming with you." Gohan spoke up.

Vegeta took a deep calming breath. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Yes. You want to keep the Saiyan race alive." Gohan answered. "Why can't you leave me here? I can stay on planet Earth. I can stay alive."

"No. You are a Saiyan. You belong with the rest of the Saiyan race." Vegeta answered. "It's your duty to your prince." Vegeta snarled.

"That's too bad." Gohan snarled back. "I'm choosing to stay here."

"You don't have a choice." Vegeta hissed as he got up. "Oh well. I was hoping you would cooperate but that's okay. It's more fun this way."

Gohan swallowed as he watched Vegeta step closer. The half-saiyan got up too and got in a fighting stance. Vegeta eyed the stance and smirked at him. "That won't last against me. You may have been training. I have been training too." Vegeta crossed his arms. "Why won't you come with me on your own accord? You can have everything you. Nothing will be out of your reach."

"I have everything I want right here." Gohan answered with a frown.

"Not if I destroy every single living person on this planet." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan widened his eyes. "Living on a planet on your own is not much fun. What if I go after your dear mother?" Gohan shook his head.

"Please don't." Gohan said. "Leave the humans alone."

"Then come with me." Vegeta answered. Gohan shook his head again. His thoughts were racing in his head. What was he supposed to do? He silently wished Piccolo could be there. Vegeta narrowed his eyes when he noticed Gohan's hesitation. The man disappeared and reappeared behind Gohan. He grabbed the back of Gohan's head and pushed him down to the ground. Gohan gasped as his face was pressed in the dirt. "One moment of hesitation is all I need." He growled as he pushed his knee in Gohan's back and grabbed his struggling arms. The man powered up when he noticed Gohan almost succeeded in pulling away. He frowned and reached down in his armor to grab a radiating bracelet. He clicked it around Gohan's left wrist. After this he grabbed another bracelet and clicked it around Gohan's right wrist. The half-saiyan gasped when he noticed his power decreased to a minimum.

Vegeta let out a breath and smirked. "You're strong but not strong enough." He said as he got up. Gohan pushed himself up and looked at his wrists. He tried to remove them but a harsh sting in his wrist made him pull away. "There are several very small needles connected to your flesh. You won't feel them if you leave it alone but when you try to remove it they will push in deeper. That hurts." He said.

Vegeta reached down in his armor once more and retrieved a collar. Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I gave you option to come with me free of any restrictions. You turned that down. Now you won't join me as my second in command but you'll join me as my slave." Gohan widened his eyes and stepped back. Vegeta smirked as he stepped closer. "Come here. It's not like you can overpower me." He sneered as he reached out. Gohan tried to push his hand away but he noticed nothing was happening.

Gohan stared at his hand which was still curling around Vegeta's wrist. He put all his strength in it but nothing happened. Vegeta smirked as he pushed through Gohan's weak defense and grabbed the hair on the back of his head. He pushed Gohan's face up and was already binding the collar around his neck before Gohan knew what happened.

A leash was tied to Gohan's collar. "Let's go." Vegeta said approvingly when he noticed Gohan wasn't putting up a fight.

"I want to say goodbye to my mom." Gohan answered as he looked up. "Let me say goodbye to her."

Vegeta scoffed. "No. We're leaving right now." The man pulled on the collar and Gohan was pulling forward.

"Let me go!" Gohan yelled. "I don't want to come with you! Let me go!" He yelled as Vegeta pulled him along. Vegeta jumped in the air, pulling Gohan along in the process, and raced to his ship.

Vegeta growled in annoyance. "Open the ship. I'm coming in." He snarled in the communication device on his watch. Gohan widened his eyes when he saw the large ship. It resembled the body of a spider. The large black middle part of the ship was almost like a circle. Several paw-like extending parts of the ship were seen. The purple windows reminded Gohan of the windows on Freeza's ship. Vegeta frowned when he noticed the rope was straining against his grip. The man watched the opening of the ship descending and pulled back his hand. In one fluent motion he tossed the half-saiyan into the ship. Gohan gave a yell as he landed on the ground and rolled a few feet further. The boy groaned as he pushed himself up. A pair of feet landed next to him and Gohan looked up.

Vegeta nodded to a pair of guards and they pressed on a button next to the entrance. The door moved up again. Gohan jumped up and ran to the door. The boy almost reached the entrance when the rope strained against his neck. Gohan was pulled back and he fell on his behind harshly. The boy whimpered as he watched the door close entirely. Vegeta gave a small pull on the rope in his hand. "Get up." Vegeta ordered.

Gohan jumped up and frowned at his captor. Vegeta started walking and Gohan was pulling along. The half-saiyan sighed. "You can't do this." He said as he felt the ground shake. "I don't want to leave my planet."

"Be quiet." Vegeta answered annoyed. "I can always destroy your planet, brat." He snarled as he continued his walk. The man suddenly thought of something and stopped walking. The man stood silently for a few seconds. Gohan wondered what was going on and decided to be quiet. Vegeta turned to him and smirked. "Your planet is important to you, isn't it?" He asked as he eyed the half-saiyan. Gohan widened his eyes.

"What are you planning?" He asked. Vegeta ignored this question and dropped Gohan's leash to the ground. The man started walking. "Hey!" Gohan ran after him and followed him in a large room.

"Stop the ship!" Vegeta yelled as he walked in the room. "Turn to planet Earth and create a shield around the ship. I want to open the window." Vegeta ordered. The small aliens ran around and did as they were told. Gohan noticed they were all wearing black cloaks so it was hard for him to find out how they looked.

Gohan looked up as the large purple colored window opened. The half-saiyan stepped closer and wondered what was going on. Vegeta extended his hand to the planet and a blast appeared in his hand. "Swear your allegiance to me, boy."

"What?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"This blast can destroy your planet. Get on your knees and swear your allegiance." Vegeta ordered. Gohan shook his head. "Do you want me to destroy your planet? That's very selfish of you." Vegeta sneered as he enlarged the blast in his hand.

The half-saiyan looked at his planet. He looked back up at Vegeta. The man raised an eyebrow at him. Gohan sighed and knelt down. "I swear my allegiance to you." Gohan muttered.

"Louder boy. And call me by my title." Vegeta snarled back. Gohan clenched his fists and repeated: "I swear my allegiance to you... Lord Vegeta." He spat out.

Vegeta smirked as he lowered his hand and the blast disappeared. "Good. I think I'll keep the planet in tact. It will come in handy one day." He said thoughtfully. Gohan was staring at the planet with a sad expression on his face. Vegeta grabbed Gohan's leash from the ground and started walking. Gohan followed his new master and sighed.

The man gave him a short tour through the ship and told Gohan he needed to know where everything was since he would be running around a lot. Gohan was quiet through it all and thought about his home planet. They ended up in front of a large door. "This is my bedroom." Vegeta said as he opened the door. Gohan followed him inside and looked around in the large room.

The spacious room had blue walls and a white floor. A large bed was pressed up against a wall with windows above it. The dark blue sheets had a silver decoration running over the edges. Gohan's eyes immediately moved to the three different doors before he noticed a large cage. The half-saiyan widened his eyes when he found a young female standing in it. His eyes moved from her dark blue eyes without any pupils and her long wavy black hair. The female was wearing a black dress with black heels under it. She smiled at the young Saiyan but didn't say anything. Vegeta ignored her and walked to one of the doors. He opened it. "This is my closet." He said as he showed a large room filled with different sets of armors on one side and all kinds of shirts, pants, skirts and dresses on the other side. Gohan gathered that Vegeta and the unknown female shared a closet.

"That's the small bathroom." Vegeta pointed to the door on the left side of the room. He walked to the second door on the right side. "This is your room." He said as he opened it. Gohan looked up and walked in the small room. There was just enough place for a bed. There was a pillow and a very thin mattress lying on the ground. A blanket was thrown over it. Gohan eyed the small room soberly. So this was where he was to spend the rest of his life in.

"Vegeta. Dear." The female drawled. "I'm bored. Why don't you get me out?" She whined.

"Quiet." Vegeta answered. "I'll leave you two alone to bond. If you open the cage you'll be sorry." Vegeta snarled at Gohan. The half-saiyan nodded and watched as Vegeta walked away.

The female eyed Gohan with interest. "So you're the half-saiyan." She muttered. "I thought you would be older."

"I'm Gohan. Who are you?" Gohan asked as he stepped closer.

"My name is Stirania. Not that it's important." Stirania answered with a sigh. "He hardly calls me by my name."

"Why are you in a cage?" Gohan asked curiously.

"It's a long story." Stirania answered lazily.

Gohan stepped closer. "I have all the time in the world." He answered innocently. Stirania tilted her head and smiled.

"I guess you do." She answered. "Well. Vegeta and I were lovers. We had so much fun together for a while. I actually think I started to like him. We travelled the universe together. That was until I was stupid enough to tell him I got homesick. I wanted to go back to my planet but Vegeta didn't really know what planet I came from. I told him which planet was mine and he found out he'd already purged the planet."

Gohan widened his eyes. "He is still purging planets?" He asked.

"Oh yes." Stirania said with a nod. "My planet is gone. I got mad at him and I said I wanted to leave him forever. He didn't allow that and here I am." Her hand travelled over one of the bars.

Gohan jumped to the windows. "Maybe we can open a window." He suggested.

"And then what? Fly through space? I don't know about you but I'll explode if I end up in a vacuum." Stirania answered dryly.

Gohan's hands fell to his side. "Oh right." He muttered. The boy sat down. "I can't believe this. I thought Vegeta would come back to kill me. I didn't know he would do this. Vegeta brushed me away without any trouble. All that training for nothing." He complained.

"You're a fighter?" Stirania asked curiously.

"I was." Gohan answered with a sigh. The door opened and Vegeta walked in. The man walked to Stirania's cage and opened it. She walked out and stretched her legs. Vegeta walked to his closet and disappeared in there. Gohan decided to stay down and be quiet. Maybe Vegeta would forget about him. Vegeta walked out the room.

"Brat. Get into your room and change into this." Vegeta ordered. The man dropped a blue uniform and a white armor with brown shoulder pats. Two white boots were lying next to it. Gohan decided it would be best to obey. The boy grabbed the clothing and walked to his room. Vegeta closed the door and the wall slowly moved back to its original place. Gohan noticed he could hardly make out that there was a door. Gohan quickly changed into his new outfit. Not really knowing what to do, he sat down on his thin mattress and waited for Vegeta to call him again. This didn't take long.

Vegeta opened the door. "Get out." He snarled at the half-saiyan. The man eyed Gohan's ruffled appearance. The man frowned and grabbed the leash Gohan pulled off the second he got in his own room. "Put this on." Gohan frowned at him. "Are you going to disobey me?" Vegeta asked as he raised an eyebrow. Gohan looked away. He didn't even see the punch coming. The boy was pushed back and landed on the ground. He placed a hand on his cheek.

"Now now, Vegeta dear. There's no need to get violent." Stirania sneered as she crossed her arms.

"Did I tell you to speak?" Vegeta snarled back at her. Stirania smiled as her hand caressed his shoulder. The female leaned in closer and her lips brushed against his cheek. Vegeta pushed her away and his glare returned to Gohan. The half-saiyan frowned and grabbed the collar. He closed it around his own neck. Vegeta snatched the leash out of his hands and turned around. Gohan followed him out the room. He ignored Stirania who absently almost floated behind them.

Vegeta opened a door and revealed a spacious room. Gohan narrowed his eyes because of the bright light from the room. His eyes got used to the glare and he noticed the shine wasn't because of a bright light but it was created by lights reflecting on the spotless white floor and walls. Their boots tapped on the stone floor as they walked inside. Different bath tubs were spread over the room. Gohan's noticed the water in one tub was bubbling peacefully. Another tub was filled with clear water. They passed a tub with water and foam.

Vegeta knocked on a glass door on the other side of the room. Gohan was still eying the different tubs with their own special themes with interest as the door opened. Two females appeared in the doorway. Gohan looked back at them and widened his eyes. They were exact copies of Stirania. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Stirania. "Meet Irisra and Denisra. You have to fix him up. Give him a bath and everything. Don't take too long." She snarled before he turned around. Gohan noticed Vegeta dropped the leash before he turned. Stirania smiled at her sisters before she followed Vegeta.

Gohan looked at the two females. "Hi. I'm Denisra." The first one said as she held out her hand. Her blue eyes showed sparkles as she eyed the half-saiyan. "You're a Saiyan too, aren't you?" She asked curiously.

Gohan nodded as his eyes searched for a detail he could use to separate the three females from each other. "Which tub do you want to go in?" Irisra asked with a gentle smile. She was already carrying a white clean towel. "You can decide."

Gohan looked around and chose the bath tub filled with foam. Irisra placed the towel and a two bottles of soap next to the tub. "You can bathe yourself, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. Of course." Gohan answered quickly. Irisra smiled and the two disappeared in their room again. Gohan quickly undressed and got in the tub. Even though his wasn't in the best mood. He did like this bathtub a lot. It was shaped like a triangle and the ground got deeper the more it got to the center. Gohan played with the foam for a while and cleaned himself.

"Get out." Irisra yelled after a short while. "You don't want to get dressed while Vegeta is watching you." She warned jokingly.

"Will he really do that?" Gohan yelled back.

"Probably not. But he'll make us watch it." Denisra answered.

Gohan pulled a face and crawled out of the bath. He quickly dried his body off and got dressed. Irisra walked closer and smiled. "You're new here, aren't you?" She asked.

Gohan nodded as answer. "How can you tell? Besides the obvious that we haven't met each other."

"You are speaking loudly and on your own accord. Slaves aren't allowed to make too much noise. Most of them speak very soft after a while." Irisra answered thoughtfully. "It's sad. Poor things. This ship is filled with child slaves too. They have to clean everything." She continued.

Gohan pulled a face. "I didn't expect anything less from Vegeta." He muttered. "He's so mean."

"You've met him before?" Irisra asked curiously.

Gohan nodded affirmative but before he could create a verbal answer, Vegeta appeared in the room again. The man eyed Gohan with approval and led him out the room. The half-saiyan wondered what was going to happen now as he followed his master out the room.

Irisra watched them go and glanced at her sister. She was advancing from the small room on the right side. "He's nice." Irisra observed.

"Yes but Vegeta will beat that out of him. Count on that." Denisra answered with a sigh. "Let's get to work and clean that tub."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**The differences are starting to become more clear here, right? I hope you like thise new version. Please review and let me know what you think of it ^.^ The more reviews, the more enthusiastic I'll be about the story. Reviews make a amateuristic writer like me feel more appreciated, you know?**


	3. Chapter 3: The first day

**Hey.. I was planning on updating this chapter earlier this week but well... I'm actually thinking about quitting fan fiction. It's just not as fun as it used to be. It's getting more hostile… I'm going to continue writing but maybe I'll stop updating... I'll just write for my own amusement and nothing more... **

**I'm not complaining and I know that when you update a chapter on a site like this I can expect criticism and I don't mind constructive criticism. I can use that to improve my stories. But when someone who never reviewed before suddenly sends a message telling me that he or she doesn't like where the story is going so that person is going to stop reading it.. What can I do with that? Nothing! *Sigh***

**Well… We'll see, I guess.**

**I hope you will like this chapter!**

**Chapter 3. The first day is always hard.**

Gohan was guided to a large room. Stirania's arm was draped over Vegeta's shoulder as they walked. It almost looked like he was carrying her. Gohan's hand was wrapped over the leash that was connected to the collar around his neck once again. The boy frowned as he clenched his fist around it. He wondered if Vegeta would get mad if he destroyed the leash. Vegeta would probably produce a new one to replace the broken one if he did that.

Gohan's eyes moved around the large room they just entered. The room was very different from the rest of the ship. It almost seemed like they walked right into a different world. The dark red walls were covered in swirly decorations and a large chandelier was hanging just above a table. There were ten different warriors sitting around the wooden table with golden edges. The chairs were made out of wood too but their edges were golden too. The red pillows on the chairs looked incredibly comfortable but something told Gohan was not allowed to sit there.

Stirania smiled as Vegeta pulled back a chair for her to sit down. Gohan followed Vegeta to the chair at the head of the table. Vegeta sat down there and a silence fell over the room. "Good evening, gentlemen. Let me introduce you to my new servant." Vegeta motioned to the half-saiyan next to him.

"Since when do you drag a slave around?" A tall warrior asked. Gohan swallowed heavily as his burning red eyes fell on him.

"I wasn't really planning on turning him into a slave but he just gave me no choice." Vegeta said with a smirk. Gohan frowned as he clenched his fists. "I offered him a job and he refused. I usually kill men who refuse to listen to me but this is so much more entertaining." Vegeta continued as he leaned on the table with his elbows. This drew a burst of laughter from the men at the table.

"It's a Saiyan, isn't it?" Another warrior asked. Vegeta nodded once as answer.

"I didn't know there were any saiyan females left." A third warrior said thoughtfully. The other gave questioning glances as Vegeta shook his head.

"His father mated with an earthling. This is what came out of it. He's half-saiyan." Vegeta answered as he tousled Gohan's hair in an almost gentle way. Gohan cringed at the gesture and moved his head out of Vegeta's reach.

"What did you do with the father?"

Vegeta smirked. "His father was stupid enough to get himself killed." Gohan's glare would have chopped Vegeta to pieces if it was possible. "There was nobody left to take care of him so I decided to take him in. I hate it when my hospitality is refused." Vegeta sneered.

"My mother is still alive, you jerk." Gohan snarled at him. An elbow was pushed in his side and the half-saiyan gasped in pain.

"Don't speak unless you are spoken to." Vegeta hissed in his direction. "His father did me a great favor though. He killed Freeza for me and got himself killed in the process. He left the universe for me to rule. I'll thank him someday." He chuckled.

Gohan clenched his fists again. "Bastard." He hissed in anger. Vegeta's foot landed on Gohan's foot harshly. The boy's face contorted into a painful expression but he didn't make a sound.

Vegeta untied Gohan's leash from his collar. "You are going to get everyone's order. You can start handing out drinks after that." Vegeta ordered.

"What? I'm not a servant." Gohan snarled back. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he grabbed Gohan's collar and pulled him closer.

"Do as I say. Now." Vegeta said threateningly. "Or feel my wrath." He glared into Gohan's anger filled eyes. Vegeta gave Gohan a small push and released him. Gohan took a deep breath but decided to do what Vegeta told him to do. He made his rounds and came back carrying several glasses. The boy handed them out and returned to get the remaining orders. One warrior hooked his green snake-like tail around Gohan's foot. The half-saiyan didn't notice and tripped over the green appendage.

The warriors around the table laughed joyfully at Gohan's misfortune. Gohan jumped up and clenched his fists, ready to attack, but a call from the other end of the table made him look up. "Don't." Vegeta yelled with a frown. Gohan glared back at him. "You were stupid enough to trip over your own feet." Vegeta sneered with a smirk. "Continue your work."

Gohan stared at Vegeta for a few seconds. The man pounded down on the table with his hand and Gohan stepped back. The younger Saiyan looked down and returned to the kitchen. He returned to Vegeta's side when he was done. Vegeta ignored him for quite some time while he enjoyed a dinner which Gohan was not allowed to join.

Gohan felt his stomach rumble as he tried not to notice the delicious smell. "What's his name?" A warrior asked as he nodded to Gohan. The half-saiyan looked up. He hadn't noticed the change of subject.

Vegeta looked at him. "Tell him your name. I wouldn't know." He said with a frown.

"My name is Gohan." He answered shortly.

"Is he a fighter?" The warrior asked Vegeta. The man nodded affirmative.

"We had some fights back on his planet." Vegeta answered. "He wasn't posing a real threat but he was trying. He joined me in the fight with Freeza too." Gohan scoffed as he kicked against a small loose rock on the floor.

"How old are you?" The same warrior asked in Gohan's direction.

"I'm eleven years old." Gohan answered as he crossed his arms.

"That's very young. Didn't you say he fought Freeza?" The man asked. Vegeta nodded again. "But he must have been incredibly young. Freeza died several years ago." The others eyed Gohan with admiration. Vegeta gave an amused glance at the half-saiyan who wasn't very comfortable with this kind of attention.

Later that evening Gohan was forced to follow Vegeta once more. Stirania yawned as she followed them. "Did you enjoy your first dinner?" Stirania asked with a smirk as she petted Gohan's head.

"It would have been better if I would have gotten something to eat." Gohan answered with a frown.

"That's right." Vegeta looked at Stirania. "Why don't you get ready for tonight while I get the brat fed?" He suggested with a suggesting smirk. Stirania rolled her eyes.

"Fine. It means getting rid of you for a while." She answered as she turned around and walked away.

Gohan watched her go until Vegeta turned around and walked to the right. They reached a large room without any furniture. Gohan looked around and noticed several aliens lying on thin mattresses. Others were placing a mattress on the ground to lay down on it too. "What is this place?" Gohan whispered as he looked up at Vegeta.

"This is the slave quarters. They sleep here." Vegeta answered.

"Why don't I sleep here?" Gohan asked as he looked up. Everything seemed better than sleeping in Vegeta's room.

"I don't want to walk to this room every time I need you." Vegeta answered with a frown. "If you would have said yes to my offer, you would have gotten a room similar to mine."

Gohan scoffed. "I would never say yes to that. And you knew it because you already had that room ready for my arrival." Gohan answered annoyed.

Vegeta smirked as they reached a closed door. "From now on you will open the doors for me." Vegeta ordered. Gohan frowned but opened the door on Vegeta's command. They entered a small room where Denisra was sitting. She smiled when she noticed Gohan.

"Hey. Did you survive the dinner?" She asked as she uncrossed her legs and got up. She pushed her long black hair from her shoulder as her hand landed on a large spoon which was sitting in a cauldron which was filled with soup.

"We don't have time for chitchat." Vegeta snarled back. "Feed him." He gave Gohan a small push against his shoulder.

Denisra smiled as she grabbed a large spoon from the cauldron next to her. She grabbed a bowl and filled it with a green substance. Gohan pulled a face which made Vegeta chuckle. "You would have gotten better food if you would have accepted my offer." He sneered.

"Are you going to tell me everything I missed out on?" Gohan answered with a frown. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I would have joined you." He continued with a frown. The boy sipped from the soup and devoured it within mere minutes.

"Give him a second bowl." Vegeta ordered. Gohan thankfully ate the second bowl and let Vegeta guide him back to Vegeta's room.

Vegeta entered his room and Gohan closed the door behind them. Stirania was already lying on the large bed. Gohan raised an eyebrow at her revealing clothing. She was wearing black lingerie with pink roses as decoration on her chest and on the outline of her shorts. She smiled when Vegeta's eyes landed on her.

Vegeta walked to the left side of the room. He pressed on the red button and the wall shifted and revealed the small room Gohan was to sleep in. Vegeta motioned for Gohan to get in. He watched as Gohan walked in. "Now I want you to stay in this room until I come back for you in the morning. You are not allowed to leave the room or even open the door to look at us. I'm warning you. You'll be sorry if you disobey." Vegeta said with a frown.

Gohan nodded and stepped back as Vegeta's hand moved to the button. The door closed and Gohan sat down. He sighed as he looked around in his small room. _'What the hell happened? How did I get in this mess?' _He thought sadly.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

After quite some time Gohan managed to fall asleep on his thin mattress. The boy had a restless night and didn't even feel rested when the door to his room opened the next morning. Gohan looked up and for a second wondered where he was. "Wake up. I don't want to wait for you." Vegeta's voice snarled. Gohan quickly got up. "Your uniform is ready. Get dressed and get out."

Gohan noticed the clothing lying on the ground. He grabbed the blue uniform and eyed it. The boy looked at the now closed door and quickly shed off his old clothing. He pulled on the blue uniform and glanced at the white boots. The boy eyed the white armor with bronze shoulder protectors. He pulled it over his head and brushed through his hair. Gohan opened the door by pressing on the red button. Vegeta was just locking Stirania in her very own cage. Gohan noticed he was wearing a black uniform and a white armor with black bands around his shoulders in stead of shoulder guards like Gohan had.

They made their way the same large room they had dinner yesterday. The long table was deserted now. Vegeta sat down and motioned for Gohan to sit down too. Two men came running inside to take their orders. Gohan noticed the brown rags they were wearing and wondered why Vegeta forced them to walk around in rags while he was wearing a nice and shiny armor. They ate their breakfast in silence while Gohan wondered what Vegeta was planning for him.

When they were done eating Vegeta grabbed the leash that was connected to Gohan's collar and pulled on it. Gohan frowned and followed him out the room. "Where are we going?" Gohan asked curiously as his dark orbs looked up at Vegeta.

The man frowned and narrowed his eyes at him. "Only speak unless you are spoken to, brat." He snarled at the boy. "Next time I'll punish you." Gohan nodded with a frown. He decided to stay quiet during the rest of the journey. They entered a large room and Gohan closed the door behind Vegeta again.

The boy looked around in the large room. He noticed a desk in the center of the room. The big room was bright since there were several lamps hanging from the ceiling. On the dark blue walls he noticed a few paintings of Saiyan warriors. He wondered if they were important warriors. Vegeta sat down at a white desk and motioned to the black hair that was standing at the other side of the desk. Gohan sat down there and frowned at him. "You know about the Saiyan race, don't you?" Vegeta asked thoughtfully.

Gohan nodded as answer. "How much do you know?" Vegeta asked.

"Not much. Piccolo told me some things. I was curious so he explained things about the planet's history, the rituals there and other things." Gohan answered hesitantly.

"I want you to learn the Saiyan language." Vegeta said as he grabbed a paper that was lying on his desk. He handed it to Gohan. The half-saiyan noticed rows of strange symbols on it.

"We visit planets and find out how much they're worth. I inspect every planet myself so I can calculate an adequate price. I want you to join me when I visit the planets and make notes in the Saiyan language so only you and I can read them." Vegeta said as he watched Gohan observe the paper.

"You want me to learn a new language? I don't know if I can do that." Gohan answered hesitantly.

"You're supposed to be smart, aren't you?" Vegeta sneered as he crossed his arms. "You will learn the language. It's not that hard." The man got up and walked to a closet on the right side of the room. He frowned and grabbed several books. Gohan watched as he walked back and placed the books on the desk. "These books may help." Vegeta sat down again. "You will study those books every day aside from your spars with me and your other duties."

"Spars?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"Sure. One day you will be my second in command. I need you to be strong when it comes to that." Vegeta answered with a frown. Gohan nodded as he reached out to grab the book but Vegeta smacked on his hand. "Did I tell you to grab the book?"

Gohan glared at him. "Do I need to ask permission to breathe too?" Gohan asked sarcastically. Vegeta jumped up and stood next to him in a flash. The man grabbed Gohan's collar and pulled him up. The boy gasped when his feet lost the touch with the ground.

"Are you talking back to me?" Vegeta yelled at him.

"You don't think you can make me submit to you so quickly, do you?" Gohan sneered as he glared at the older warrior. Vegeta pulled back a fist and punched him in the cheek.

"Are you going to listen to me?" Vegeta yelled as he pulled back another fist and pushed it in Gohan's stomach. The half-saiyan shook his head and Vegeta tossed him to the ground. He appeared next to the younger saiyan and pushed his boot down on Gohan's stomach. The boy groaned in pain. "How long can you stand this?" Vegeta asked curiously. The man pounded down on Gohan's stomach again. The boy whimpered and moaned as Vegeta continued to push his boot down his stomach and chest. "Well?"

"I'm sorry." Gohan muttered with clenched fists.

"I'm sorry, what?" Vegeta asked as he placed his hand behind his ear and leaned down while pressing down on Gohan's chest with his boot.

"I'm sorry, sir." Gohan hissed out. Vegeta pulled back and walked to his desk again. Gohan got up as Vegeta sat down. The boy ignored the stings of pain as he walked to his chair. The ki-bonds around his wrists showed sparks as Gohan tried to power up. Vegeta narrowed his eyes when Gohan was about to sit down. Gohan frowned back at him until Vegeta motioned for him to sit down. The boy obeyed and sat down.

"Place the books back in the closet. Stand next to me after that and assist me with my work." Vegeta ordered. Gohan stuck out his tongue when Vegeta looked down and got up to grab the books.

The following hours, Vegeta was looking and working through paperwork while Gohan helped him. Gohan got a map of the ship and was sent around to do errands. He got orders to get a drink, grab papers or books, or sent a message to another person in the ship. When he wasn't running errands Gohan was studying the saiyan language wondering how fast he would grasp the concept.

Later that day Vegeta dragged Gohan back to the dinner room where other soldiers were already seated. Gohan looked at the table with starved eyes wondering how long he would last without any food. Vegeta had lunch but Gohan hadn't eaten since breakfast. Once the men were done eating a group of females entered the room. They were dressed in sparkly tops and long skirts with golden decoration. Gohan noticed all the girls were wearing clothing in different colors and the skirt and top of every girl matched. The boy blushed at the suggesting movements the dance contained but the men in the room were too occupied to notice.

After dinner Gohan was placed outside the training room where he had to wait until Vegeta was done training. The boy was bored to death as he waited for Vegeta to come out. Several hours later they entered Vegeta's room. Stirania was lying on the bed with an international magazine. She ignored the two males and continued reading. Gohan noticed she wasn't wearing much again and he briefly wondered why. Vegeta entered his private bathroom to take a shower while Gohan sat down on the ground.

Stirania rolled on her back and eyed the half-Saiyan. "How was your second day?" She asked innocently as the band of her blue top fell off her shoulder. She adjusted her black skirt to fit with her new position without taking her eyes off the half-saiyan. Gohan frowned at her. "Oh, someone is in a bad mood. Get over it, kiddo." She sneered.

Vegeta walked out and ordered Gohan to take a brief shower. Gohan quickly made his way to the bathroom and looked around. The spacious bathroom had turquoise walls and a turquoise floor. The walls and floor were very clean and shiny. It made Gohan wonder if the room was cleaned just before he got there. He looked at the large shower and the small toilet. The boy shed off his uniform and entered the shower.

Gohan left the shower several minutes later and noticed Vegeta and Stirania were already lying in bed. Stirania was currently seated on Vegeta's body while straddling his body with her legs. Gohan raised an eyebrow when he noticed she was leaning down and kissing him. He didn't have much experience with watching other kiss but he did see his parents exchange a kiss several times. They did that because they liked each other. Gohan thought Vegeta and Stirania disliked each other.

Stirania pulled back and smiled at her mate. "We have an audience." She whispered.

Vegeta glanced at the half-saiyan. "Go to your room." He ordered. Gohan shook his head and almost ran to the other side of the room where his own small room was. The boy was about to close the door. "Boy. Press on the blue button to make your room soundproof. I don't want you listening to anything which is not your business." Vegeta ordered. Gohan nodded and closed the door to his room. He pressed on the blue button and noticed that his earlier transparent door was now slowly turning to a solid white door. Gohan sighed as he turned around and sat down on his mattress.

A few hours later Gohan was woken up by someone who was pushing against his shoulder. "Boy. Wake up." A voice whispered. The boy blinked a few times and looked up. Gohan widened his eyes when he noticed Stirania was bowing over him.

"Vegeta is asleep and he will be sleeping for a while. I need to get back in bed though. So, hurry up and get out. The space pods are located in room 405. Go to the left and follow the numbers." Stirania said as she looked in the room where Vegeta was still sleeping. Gohan nodded and walked to the door of the bedroom. He looked back to find Stirania creeping back in the bed.

"Thank you." Gohan whispered. Stirania smiled at him while Gohan pressed on blue button next to the door to open it. He walked out and waited until the door was fully closed before he started running. The boy reached the space pod room within a few minutes. He walked in and looked around. There were five space pods each sitting on their pillow-like base. The boy ignored the other machines standing around and ran to the first pod. He opened it and grabbed something that looked like a remote. The boy closed the pod and looked at the remote.

Stirania was still lying in Vegeta's bed. She was staring up at the ceiling wondering if Gohan was gone already. Vegeta stirred and yawned. The man opened his eyes. He noticed Stirania's tensed expression and frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing. I had a nightmare." Stirania answered with a slightly shaking voice. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and pushed his body up.

"You're hiding something from me." Vegeta got out the bed while ignoring the fact that he was completely naked and walked to Gohan's small room. The man opened the door to check on the half-saiyan. "He's gone." Vegeta whispered. The man whirled around and glared at his mate. She shivered at the intensity of the glare. Vegeta grabbed his clothing and quickly pulled everything on. He pulled on his boots and, giving one last glare at his mate, raced out the room.

Gohan was shaking as he looked at the different buttons in the space pod and on the remote. "How does this thing work?" He asked out loud. The boy felt his heartbeat speed up with every second.

Vegeta looked around and closed his eyes. "Where is he?" He whispered as his mind searched for the familiar power level. The man smirked and opened his eyes.

Gohan decided just to press on a button. He looked around and raised an eyebrow at a red button which was slightly larger than the buttons surrounding it. "Maybe that's the one. I don't care where I am going. I just want to get out of here." He whispered. The boy was about to press on the button when the door opened. Gohan and Vegeta crossed sights and Gohan quickly pressed on the launching button.

"Oh. No. You're not!" Vegeta yelled as he opened his hand and sent a ki-blast. Gohan could only cross his arms in front of his face to protect himself from the blast. He was thrown aside and landed on the ground. Gohan whimpered as he observed the burns on his arms but he didn't get any time to think about this. Vegeta appeared next to him and pulled back a leg. Gohan jumped up to avoid the attack and moved back.

Vegeta smirked as he watched Gohan sink in a fighting stance. "You want to fight me?" He sneered. "Your power level is only at 500."

Gohan frowned at him. The boy jumped in the air and attacked Vegeta. The older Saiyan grabbed Gohan's arm and threw him to the other side of the room. Gohan pushed off from the wall and pulled back a fist. Vegeta blocked the punch and jumped up to avoid being swiped off his feet by Gohan's leg. The man pulled back a fist and punched Gohan in the cheek. The half-saiyan whimpered at the force that Vegeta put into that attack. The pain was increased by his low power level.

Vegeta smirked and disappeared from his sight. Gohan looked around. "Can't find me?" Vegeta's voice sneered. Gohan whirled around and sent a ki-blast. He only hit a space pod. "You'll pay for destroying my property." Vegeta's voice hissed from the right.

Gohan turned around and punched in thin air. The boy turned around and stretched his hands out in front of him. He caught a ki-blast from Vegeta. The boy felt the heat burn his flesh but he wasn't about to give in. Gohan growled in concentration. Vegeta smirked. "If I add a little bit more force you are gone." The man said as he stretched out his arm.

Vegeta tilted his head and used his other hand to create a second blast. The man moved it up so it would appear above Gohan's head. The half-saiyan looked up as sweat drops fell down his forehead. "It's one or the other. What is going to be?" He sneered.

Gohan frowned and gave a yell. He put all his force in it and pushed the blast up so it would connect with the second blast. Gohan tried to jump away in time. He wasn't fast enough though and was pushed to the ground by the force of the explosion. The half-saiyan tried to push himself up and but a boot landed on his back to push him to the ground.

Vegeta leaned down and grabbed Gohan's arm to spin it on his back. "Dejavu." He whispered. Gohan struggled in vain as Vegeta pulled him up and spun the half-saiyan around to face him. "So what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I saw my chance and I took it." Gohan snarled back.

Vegeta smirked. "Well, then see this as my chance to beat you up. And I'll take it." Gohan frowned up at him. The man smirked as he turned around and motioned for Gohan to follow him. "Come." He ordered. Gohan sighed and followed him out the room. The half-saiyan wondered where they were going but Vegeta lead him to his room.

The man followed Gohan in his room and pointed to Gohan's small room. "Go in there and close the door." He ordered. "I need to speak to my mate." Vegeta's eyes went to Stirania. She was still sitting on the bed. The female bit her lip as Vegeta walked closer and he clenched his fists.

The following morning Gohan was woken up earlier. Vegeta didn't speak to him as Gohan quickly changed. He managed to give one quick glance to Stirania. She was sitting in her cage once more. She was sporting a blue eye and several scratches on her arms and legs. She looked down when Vegeta's eyes landed on her.

Gohan didn't get any time to wonder what happened because Vegeta was chasing him out the room already. Vegeta ate breakfast while Gohan was forced to sit on the ground. His stomach rumbled but he noticed Vegeta wasn't going to give him what he wanted. After Vegeta ate they walked to a large room. Gohan looked around and eyed the blue walls and red floor. There was nothing else in the room.

Gohan turned back to Vegeta. The man frowned at him as two soldiers walked in the room. They were accompanied by Stirania. Gohan wondered what was going to happen as he looked back up at Vegeta. One of the soldiers handed Vegeta a large black whip and Gohan widened his eyes.

Vegeta closed his hand around the whip and smirked at the half-saiyan. "I didn't think this would happen this fast." Vegeta said as he eyed the whip. Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You disobeyed me by trying to leave the ship. That's treason. I should kill you for it but that would be a waste of talent."

"Kneel down and act like a man." Vegeta ordered. Gohan turned away from Vegeta and knelt down on the ground. "Pull off your armor and pull down your uniform." Gohan did as he was told. He knew the soldiers were going to do it if he refused anyway. Vegeta nodded approvingly and reached out to brush Gohan's long hair over his shoulder so it wouldn't get in the way. Gohan closed his eyes as he waited for the first hit. Vegeta didn't let him wait very long and pulled back the whip. He didn't hold back as he forced it down on Gohan's back harshly. The half-saiyan gasped at the feeling.

He'd never felt something like this before. He had experience with beatings or receiving pain but this was something different. Vegeta landed the whip on his back again. The man smirked when he noticed Gohan was clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles were turning white. The next lash left a large bloody mark in Gohan's back and forced a harsh groan out Gohan's mouth. Vegeta silently wondered how many lashes he would need to get through to Gohan but when he noticed the following lash already made Gohan's arm collapse under him, he knew it wouldn't take many lashes to send the message.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Vegeta pulled back a fist and pushed it in Gohan's stomach. Gohan coughed up blood and whimpered. He wished he could wipe the sweat, spit and blood off his chin but his arms were tied together above his head. Vegeta was literally using him as a punching bag.

Vegeta punched him in the cheek and forced his face to the right only to force his face back to the left by punching him again. Vegeta tilted his head. "Okay. This is a nice warm up." Vegeta said as he flew up. The man released Gohan's arms and let him fall down. Gohan managed to land on his hands and knees.

Gohan pushed his body up and stood straight. Vegeta landed next to him and smirked. The man gave Gohan a short push against his shoulder to make him walk. Gohan walked to the door where Vegeta ordered him to sit down. "Lie down." Vegeta said when Gohan was sitting. Gohan rolled his eyes but decided to listen. "Stay like this and close your eyes. I don't want you watching my training session." Vegeta placed a bottle and a towel on the ground next to Gohan. "Bring me these when I call you. If I catch you looking at me I'll continue my punching bag training, got it?"

Gohan glared at him but nodded. The half-saiyan closed his eyes and sighed as he listened to Vegeta's boots moving away from him. It had been three days since he tried to escape. Vegeta had been treating him terrible since then. Stirania was looking very tired too. He wondered what was going on between Stirania and Vegeta. Stirania told him he didn't want to know so he decided to listen to that silent advice.

Gohan thought about the past few years. He had been training so he could defeat Vegeta. The moment the man landed on the planet he found out how strong Vegeta really was. He knew that he wouldn't be able to win the match. Gohan sighed. He trained for so many years and everything he'd done was for nothing.

"Brat!" Gohan opened his eyes and jumped up. The boy noticed Vegeta was standing on the ground and glaring at him. Gohan ran to his master and handed the towel and bottle to the man. "That took you long enough." Vegeta snarled at him. Gohan waited until Vegeta gave the bottle back to him and returned to the spot near the door. There he sat down and closed his eyes again.

Vegeta's session seemed to take hours for Gohan. Sitting there with your eyes closed was quite boring. Gohan couldn't keep his mind off the pain caused by his wounds so he tried to visualize Vegeta's movements as his listened to the sounds in the room.

Suddenly, Vegeta appeared next to him. Before Gohan could open his eyes he was pulled up in the air by his hair. Vegeta's fist released his hair and Gohan stumbled back to lean against the wall. Vegeta snatched the bottle away from him and wiped some sweat off his face with the towel. The man grabbed the leash that was connected to the collar around Gohan's neck. The man started walking and led Gohan out the room.

The half-saiyan sighed as he followed Vegeta to Vegeta's private bathroom. Vegeta walked in the room where Stirania, Denisra and Irisra were sitting. They were probably talking about something private since the conversation died when the two males walked in. "Keep him here while I take a bath." Vegeta ordered.

"He looks terrible." Denisra answered as she eyed the young warrior. "Why can't we give him a bath too?"

Vegeta snorted. "I don't care." He answered as he turned around. "Why don't you join me?" Vegeta asked as his eyes moved to Stirania. The female smiled and accepted his offered hand.

Gohan pulled a face as he watched Vegeta and Stirania walk away. Denisra smiled as she turned to the half-saiyan. "I'll show you to a bath." She said before she turned around and grabbed a metal basket. The basket was filled with different soap bottles, towels and washing cloths.

Gohan followed her to one of the large bathtubs. His eyes moved to the other bathtub where Vegeta and Stirania were probably in. A large white curtain was drawn up around the tub. Gohan quickly undressed and wrapped a towel around his hips. He left the dressing room and walked to the tub filled with light purple water. The boy raised an eyebrow at Denisra. "It feels better than it looks." She said when she noticed his face.

Gohan nodded and watched her walk off. Gohan crawled in the tub and immediately noticed she was right. The scent of the soap she'd put in the water was a light lavender like smell. Gohan decided to enjoy this while he could.

Gohan didn't get to enjoy it long though. Vegeta and Stirania got out quite fast and Gohan had to follow them out. Stirania was allowed to stay with her friends but Gohan had to follow Vegeta back to his office. The man eyed the wounds on Gohan's face and naked arms. "So, are you still considering an escape attempt?" He asked with a smirk.

Gohan frowned and shook his head. Vegeta nodded approvingly and ordered him to study the saiyan language while Vegeta worked. The two Saiyans spent the next few hours in silence until Gohan's stomach broke that silence by rumbling. Vegeta looked up and his eyes moved down to the ground. Gohan was told to sit on the ground while he was studying but the half-saiyan was now lying on his stomach and leaning on the ground with his elbows.

A blush appeared on Gohan's cheeks as his stomach rumbled again. Vegeta smirked. "When was the last time you ate?" He asked.

"I think yesterday morning." Gohan answered as he looked up.

"It explains why you're so white." Vegeta muttered. "Go eat something and come back after that." Gohan nodded and jumped up. "Don't forget. The guards are keeping an eye on you." Vegeta warned. Gohan nodded again and quickly walked out the room.

The boy made his way to room 200 where the slaves usually got their food. During his trip there Gohan immediately noticed Vegeta had indeed told the guards to keep an eye on him. The warriors standing in the hallway all watched him curiously as he walked to room 200. Gohan unconsciously started walking faster and was glad when he reached room 200.

Several slaves were sitting on the ground as they were eating their food. Gohan looked at the group of slaves spread around the room. There were women, men and children alike. Gohan walked to the table where one of the child slaves was standing. "Gohan. It's been a while since you came here to get some food. Lord Vegeta is underfeeding you." She complained.

"He sometimes lets me eat breakfast with him." Gohan answered as he sat down on a stool. The boy brushed over his blue bodysuit and looked down at his white armor with beige shoulder pads. "I still don't get why my clothing is so fancy while yours isn't."

"You're more like a soldier than a slave, right." The girl answered as she grabbed a spoon and let the soup run in a bowl. Gohan quickly ate the soup and ate the bread she gave him after that. He begged her for some more and the slave submitted and gave him some extra bread.

"Thanks." Gohan said as he got up. "This will probably last me for the next twenty-four hours." He muttered. The girl smiled at him and Gohan greeted her before he left. The boy wondered if Vegeta was still in his office and decided to go there. He wasn't in a hurry though.

When he arrived at the office, Vegeta was meeting with two soldiers. They all looked up when he entered and Vegeta pointed to the spot next to him. Gohan nodded and quickly went to stand there and resumed his new position as a slave in silence.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**So that was it. Please review and let me know what you think. Please just positive reviews or constructive criticism. ^.^ I will send an angry Vegeta to you if you flame me! -.- **


	4. Chapter 4: One step at a time

**Hi guys. I hope you will like it :)  
>Thanks for the reviews! It's good to know that most of you don't want me to stop writing.<strong>

**Chapter 4. One step at a time.**

Later that day Gohan was sitting on the ground. Vegeta told him to stay there so Gohan decided not to fight that decision. Vegeta appeared in the room and sat down on his bed. The man eyed Gohan for a few seconds and the half-saiyan glared back at him.

"Come here and kneel down at the end of the bed." Vegeta ordered. Gohan got up and walked to the edge of the bed. He knelt down wondering what was going to happen now. "Why don't you give me a foot message?" Vegeta suggested. Gohan snorted as he got up.

"Forget it." He snarled back. "I'll go to my room." Gohan forgot about the leash around his neck. Usually he got rid of it the moment he walked in the room but he forgot about it today. The boy felt a tug on his neck and stumbled back. Vegeta was sitting on his hands and knees on the bed so he could grab the leash before Gohan was too far away.

"Now are you going to obey me or what? If you don't do this I'll see to it that you won't get any food for at least a week." Vegeta said as he tugged on the leash again. Gohan frowned back at him.

"I won't survive that." Gohan answered as he glared at his master.

"You're a Saiyan. Even humans can survive a week without food." Vegeta answered as he tugged on the leash again. Gohan was forced to step toward him again. Vegeta sat down on the bed and leaned against the front with his back. He was still holding the leash so Gohan was forced to stand at the edge of the bed. "Kneel down and do it."

Gohan clenched his fists. "A soldier is not supposed to do something like that." Gohan snarled back.

"You're not a soldier, remember? You chose to be a slave."

"I didn't choose anything." Gohan answered.

"You refused to join me as a soldier. That's choosing to die or, in this case, to be enslaved." Vegeta answered as if he was speaking about the weather. Gohan frowned back at him. "Start on your assignment." He ordered after this. Gohan glared at Vegeta's feet. "Oh come on. Do you want me to grab a child and torture him?" Vegeta asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Gohan shook his head. "Good. Then start." Vegeta ordered. Gohan sighed and shifted closer to the bed.

"Can I lean on the bed with my elbows?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

Vegeta shrugged. "You can climb on the bed for all I care. It's not like it's a forbidden area. You just can't sleep in it." Gohan leaned on the bed with his elbows and with some hesitation started massaging Vegeta's feet. "You always assume you have to sit on the ground when I order you to stay here but you can sit on the bed if you want to. It's more comfortable." Vegeta continued as he grabbed a bundle of papers that reminded Gohan of the newspapers his mother used to read on Earth.

"Err... Vegeta? Can I call you Vegeta?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

Vegeta's eyes glanced at him over the edge of the newspaper. "Will your attitude improve if you can?" He asked. Gohan shrugged. "Sure, kid."

"If I would have chosen to join your army as a soldier... What would my life be like?" Gohan asked hesitantly.

Vegeta placed the newspaper down on his legs. "Are you having second thoughts already?"

"No. I'm just curious." Gohan answered. "What would job prescription be?"

Vegeta crossed his arms as he thought about that question. "It would be better than your life as a slave." Vegeta started off. "You would get your own room and office. I wanted to place you with the elite soldiers. Your strength is there but your technical skill is non existent. Training with the elite would give you the chance to work on that weaker aspect."

"Would I get missions?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

Vegeta smirked as he thought that would probably be the only thing Gohan would hate. "Yes. I would probably send you on purging missions."

"Then I'd rather be a slave." Gohan answered determinedly.

Vegeta chuckled as he uncrossed his arms and grabbed the newspaper again. He ruffled with the papers. "I knew you would say that. Is that really worth this?"

"Yes." Gohan answered with a frown. "I'd rather be a slave than a murderer."

"Just because you're a slave does not mean you cannot purge planets." Vegeta's voice was low and sounded very dangerous. Gohan looked up at him. "I'll assign you to a trip with the elite in a few weeks. Look forward to it." Vegeta said as he pulled the newspaper up and started reading again. He didn't miss how Gohan's hands tightened their grip on his feet for a second before he released them.

"You can't do that!" Gohan snarled as he got up.

"Watch me."

"I will not do that! I'm strong enough to fight almost everyone on this ship. I will fight your soldiers and runaway." Gohan yelled at him.

"Not if they keep your ki-bonds on until you reach the planet and release you there." Vegeta answered without looking up from his newspaper. Gohan shook his head. "Now wash your hands and go to your room." Vegeta ordered. "I'll send you to Comora tomorrow so you can give him the message yourself."

Gohan frowned and clenched his fists. It was until Vegeta released the newspaper with one hand and prepared a blast in the free hand when Gohan decided to listen and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands. He ignored Vegeta as he walked back to his room. There he pulled out his armor and lied down on his mattress. The boy sighed as he rolled on his side and traced an invisible line over the white wall.

The following morning Gohan was sitting in a space pod. He crossed his arms as he watched the different planets fly by. "Are you there yet?" Vegeta's voice sounded through the scouter he was wearing.

"I will be there in two minutes just like I was going to be there in seven minutes when you asked this question five minutes ago." Gohan answered annoyed. "I hate these long distant messages. I don't want to sit in these things. It makes me feel like I'm you." He snarled.

"Poor thing." Vegeta sneered. Gohan rolled his eyes as the robotic female voice announced that the space pod was going to land in a few seconds. The boy moved his hand up and eyed the white glove and the blue bodysuit he was wearing. He had to admit the uniform was nice to wear and the armor with green stomach and shoulder guards did make him feel slightly less vulnerable. The space pod landed and Gohan quickly climbed out the space pod. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. The half-saiyan ignored the guards standing on either side of the gate as he exited the launching room and made his way to Comora's office. There the doors opened as he stepped in the range of the sensors and revealed an office which was slightly smaller than Vegeta's. The gray walls and purple floor made the room very dark if it wasn't for the bright lights hanging on the walls.

A large man with yellow hair running down his muscular turquoise back looked up as Gohan walked in. The half-saiyan knelt down and bowed his head in respect. "I have a message from Lord Vegeta, sir." Gohan said without looking up.

"Again?" Comora asked as he raised an eyebrow. Gohan looked up. "Didn't he send you here two days ago?"

"Yes. This message was on a little short notice." Gohan answered bitterly.

"Well then, by all means, bring the message to me." Comora ordered as he motioned for Gohan to get up. The half-saiyan stepped closer and handed a round blue communication device to him. A dark blue circle was drawn in the middle of the object and Comora placed it on the desk. The man clapped in his hands and the lights in the room died. Gohan watched as Comora pressed on a button and a light emerged from the object.

Comora read the inscriptions and frowned thoughtfully. "He wants to add a soldier to my team?" He muttered out loud. "Soldier XXY902. Let's see." The man typed the numbers into his computer on the right side of the desk. "X….X…Y…9….0..2.." He muttered as he typed in said numbers.

Gohan looked at the screen curiously. He already knew who the soldier was but he wondered if there was any database on him. A screen appeared with a recent picture of Gohan. "It's you." Comora said as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm in the database of the army?" Gohan questioned out loud. "I didn't know that." He muttered thoughtfully. "They have a picture of me. Where did they get that picture?"

"Are you done?" Comora asked amusedly. "Curious much?" Gohan noticed he was leaning on the desk quite far and pulled back. A small blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Sorry." Gohan muttered as he stepped back.

Comora moved his eyes back to the message on the screen. "Instructions to remove the ki-bonds when we reach the planet. You don't want to go?" He asked curiously.

Gohan shrugged and looked away. Comora chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not as bad as you think it is." Comora said as his dark red eyes studied the Saiyan. "It will be over before you know it." The man pressed on the dark blue circle and the message in the air disappeared.

"Vegeta is making me do this just to prove his point." Gohan complained as he crossed his arms.

Comora leaned back in his blue chair. "You're the only one who can call him that without a punishment. Then again, you're the only Saiyan left." Comora looked at the label 'species' on the computer which clearly said 'half-saiyan'.

Gohan rolled his eyes. "That jerk doesn't deserve that label." He muttered.

"You're going to regret that one." Vegeta's voice snarled through the scouter. Gohan widened his eyes slightly and cursed himself for forgetting about the scouter. He pressed on a button to close the connection between him and Vegeta. _'I'm going to get it for the insult anyway. Might as well add another reason to be punished.' _Gohan thought as he crossed his arms.

"Are we done here?" Gohan asked .

"Yes. You're dismissed. I look forward to the next mission." Comora said amusedly as he motioned for Gohan to leave.

When Gohan reached Vegeta's office the man was already waiting for him. The man showed Gohan to three sets of boots and told him to clean and polish them. Gohan didn't complain since this punishment was very lenient for Vegeta. Luckily for Gohan, Vegeta had to attend a meeting and, after chaining Gohan to a metal radiator, left him alone in the room.

Two hours later Gohan was working on the third pair while wondering how Vegeta could get those boots so dirty. The door was thrown open and Vegeta walked in. Gohan raised an eyebrow as he watched the man walk to his desk and fall down on his chair. Another warrior followed Vegeta. Even though the man looked very impressive with his light blue skin and short bright orange hair, he seemed to watch Vegeta apprehensively.

"I'm not going to sell that planet for thirty million credits." Vegeta snarled over his shoulder as he walked. "If he thinks he can get it for less than 120 million he is crazy."

"Lord Vegeta. Please consider his offer. The planet isn't that spectacular." The man pleaded. "It is hard for some species to breathe there since the planet doesn't have the normal oxygen most planets have."

"I don't care." Vegeta answered. "The planet has enough water and other resources they can extract from the ground. I'm not going lower than 100 million."

"I'll send him the message." The warrior said as his eyes fell on Gohan. "Why do you have a child chained to the wall?" He asked curiously.

Vegeta's eyes shot to Gohan before they landed on the warrior again. "Why are you questioning my taste in furniture?" He shot back as the warrior sat down. The man looked so shocked that even Gohan couldn't hide a chuckle. "I'm training him to be a new soldier. He just needs to be reminded of his place." Vegeta answered as he shuffled with the papers on his desk. Gohan rolled his eyes as he placed the second to last clean boot on the ground.

"Right." The man decided not the question Vegeta's ways. "How is the training going?" He asked curiously. Gohan eyed the man but didn't recognize him.

"Fine." Vegeta answered. "He's obedient for now."

"Do you want to test that?" The man asked as a smirk appeared on his face. Gohan groaned softly. Vegeta was angry at him so he could be persuaded into doing almost anything to Gohan at the moment.

"You don't believe me?" Vegeta asked as he raised an eyebrow. The warrior shrugged as he looked at the half-saiyan. Vegeta got up and stepped closer to the half-saiyan.

"Come on, Vegeta." Gohan complained as he watched the man walk closer. The man ignored Gohan's plea and unchained him. Gohan frowned as he followed Vegeta to the center of the room where Vegeta's desk was standing.

"Sit down." Vegeta ordered. Gohan frowned at him and sat down on the ground. "Get up." Gohan did as he was told. "Jump up and down." Gohan took a deep and steadying breath and started jumping up and down. The warrior already looked satisfied but Vegeta was having too much fun to let Gohan off the hook. "Do a handstand."

"Why?" Gohan asked annoyed.

"Because you can." Vegeta answered.

"Maybe I can't do it." Gohan shot back.

"I saw you do it on planet Namek." Vegeta answered."When you were so ecstatic with your new uniform, remember?" Vegeta tilted his head as his lips curled up. A blush appeared on Gohan's cheeks. Vegeta caught him while he was actually acting his age for once and Gohan always hoped Vegeta only saw the last few moments of it.

"Jerk." Gohan muttered under his breath.

"That's the second time you insulted me today and if you do it a third time you won't live to see the next day." Vegeta threatened. "Now do it."

Gohan frowned and did a handstand. "Now on one hand." Gohan pulled back one hand and adjusted his body so he wouldn't fall down. "Now walk around the desk on your hands." Vegeta's order pulled a sigh out of Gohan's body but he did as he was told once more. "That's all." Gohan immediately jumped back to his feet. "Go grab a book and study it." Vegeta ordered.

Gohan saluted and walked to the closet to grab a book. The warrior looked at Vegeta. "Study?"

"I'm teaching him the Saiyan language." Vegeta answered in a bored tone. "It will come in handy one day. I will be able to keep all my secrets in that language and he can keep track of everything."

"Aren't you afraid he'll spill the secrets to others?" The warrior asked.

"That boy may disagree with my tactics but he is a loyal soldier and I'm the only one to give that loyalty to." Vegeta answered as he leaned on the desk with his elbows. Gohan was on the other side of the room. He was leaning against the closet with his back and seemed to be immersed with the book. "Besides, I'll have him in shape in no time. In a few months I will be the only one he lives for." Vegeta's eyes moved to the back of the room where Gohan was sitting. The book was lying on his crossed legs and the half-saiyan yawned tiredly. The boy rubbed his eyes and flipped a page. Vegeta looked back at the warrior. "Yes. He'll be one of my best soldiers soon."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The large octopus-like ship landed on the ground on planet Xiona. Inside the ship Gohan was following Vegeta to the doorway. "Vegeta? Can I ask you a question?" The eleven year old looked up at the older Saiyan.

The door sizzled open and a row of soldiers ran out the ship. Vegeta and Gohan walked outside. "Is it one of your usual stupid questions?" Vegeta sneered.

"I've been on this ship for two weeks now. How can you know my questions are usually stupid?" Gohan shot back.

"Call it instinct." Vegeta answered with a smirk.

"Do I have to wear this?" Gohan asked as he tugged on the collar around his neck. Vegeta stopped walking and glanced at the half-saiyan. He smirked and knelt down next to the teenager. Gohan watched as Vegeta pulled off the collar and tied Gohan's wrists together in stead. The man patted on Gohan's bounded hands and got up. The half-saiyan decided this was better than being dragged around like a dog.

The doorway opened and they walked out the ship. Gohan was dressed in a blue uniform which Vegeta apparently made his standard uniform. He was also wearing armor with black shoulder guards. They stepped on the brown surface of the planet. There they noticed a group of soldiers and a woman standing in front of them.

The woman's dark blue hair seemed to wave as she walked closer. Her light blue dress contrasted wit her darker hair and the fabric was decorated with sparkles. All in all, it almost made her seem like the sky on planet Earth, both day and night.

"Good morning, Miss Rillia." Vegeta said as he nodded at her. Gohan got down on one knee in respect.

"Good morning, lord Vegeta. I thank you for your kindness and your offer to escort me to my father's new planet." Rillia answered with a kind smile.

Vegeta nodded once again and turned away from her. "Shall I escort you into the ship?" He suggested.

"I'd be honored." Rillia answered as she accepted Vegeta's offered arm and they entered the ship. Gohan was staring at the leash as Vegeta dropped it and grabbed it.

Vegeta pressed on a button next to a large door and the doors opened. They entered a spacious room. The white floor and white walls made the room look more cheerful compared to the dark rooms the rest of the ship contained. Gohan wondered if all the guests were placed in this room because it was the only nice room in the ship. Even Vegeta's room was darker than this one.

A large bed was centered in the room. The red curtains around the bed were bright compared to the white sheets and pillows on the bed. Gohan did notice one red pillow. Several men walked inside while carrying suitcases. Vegeta stepped aside to let them in and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. The boy looked up. "Get ready." Vegeta hissed to him.

Vegeta left Gohan to wonder what was going to happen as he stepped toward Rillia. The woman smiled at him when she noticed this. "Miss Rillia. Allow me to present you with a temporary gift to make your stay in my ship as accommodating as possible." Vegeta said as he motioned for Gohan to come closer. "This boy will work for you to take every order you can think of."

Gohan raised an eyebrow as he looked up. "Are you renting me out?" He asked annoyed. Vegeta gave him a warning glance but Gohan only glared back.

"Oh, I don't know, lord Vegeta. I don't really need someone to help me. I can do everything myself." Rillia answered hesitantly.

"There must be some things you don't want to do. Your laundry? He can clean up after you. You don't have to do a thing. He'll take care of everything." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Rillia's eyes moved to Gohan and she noticed the stubbornness in his eyes.

"Fine." Rillia said with a smile. _'This could get interesting.'_ She thought amusedly. "I'll take him."

"Good. Let me make sure he knows all the rules. I'll send him back to you when he's ready." Vegeta answered before he gave her a nod in respect and turned away from her. Gohan followed him out the room.

Vegeta walked away and Gohan followed him once more. "Where are we going?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Don't speak unless you are spoken to. Next time I'll punch you." Vegeta snarled back. Gohan pressed his lips together in annoyance but didn't answer.

Vegeta opened a door and walked in the room. Gohan looked around and noticed they were in a room Gohan had never seen before. A large bed was standing in the room.  
>It wasn't as large as Vegeta's bed but it came close to it. Gohan noticed the same doorway to a small bathroom and a closet in the corner. "This is your room." Vegeta announced.<p>

Gohan looked up with wide eyes. "It is?"

"For now. It would have been your room if you would have joined me as a soldier." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan groaned out loud. The boy walked in the room and looked around curiously.

"I'll let you sleep here while you're working for her just to show you what you'll be missing out on." Vegeta said. "You will sleep here and go to her room the moment you wake up. The guards are keeping an eye on you and the bracelets will keep you power level low. I'm working on other bracelets which can do more than just keep your power level down but you'll hear about that later." Vegeta turned away from Gohan. "Enjoy your two weeks away from me. They'll be over before you know it."

Gohan watched him go and jumped around in joy. The boy landed on the large bed and grinned. "My bed." Gohan whispered out loud. "My room." He looked around once more. "Only if I am a soldier." He sighed. "My own room. Not that small mattress on the ground… Maybe I should just say yes." Gohan whispered as he stared up at the ceiling. The boy shook his head and got up again. He decided to go back to Rillia before she started complaining.

He knocked on the door and entered the room after she gave permission. The boy bowed in respect and waited for an order. Rillia was lying on her bed and she was reading a book. Gohan eyed her with curiosity. Rillia looked up and smiled. "Do you want something?" She asked.

"Oh. Sorry. I was actually about to ask you the same thing, Miss." Gohan answered as he looked up.

"Oh. Well you don't have to do anything for me at the moment. Just sit down and read something or whatever." Rillia answered. "And just call me Rillia."

"Can I just pick something out?" Gohan asked as he stepped closer to the suitcase that was open and contained several piles of books.

Gohan spend the rest of the day reading one of the books. It was the first time in six days he actually enjoyed something. Vegeta found the two while they were still reading. Rillia was lying on the bed and Gohan was lying on the ground. The boy was leaning on the ground with his elbows as he lay stomach down on the ground. Gohan looked up when Vegeta walked in. "Good evening." Vegeta said with a nod to Rillia. "It's time for dinner. Will you follow me?"

Rillia smiled and got up. They made their way to the dining room and Gohan raised an eyebrow when he noticed the candles on the table. Vegeta was really trying to make this romantic and it made Gohan feel a little sick. Gohan was ordered to get their drinks and sit in the corner to eat alone after that. Gohan sat down at his small table and watched the interaction between the couple.

After some time Rillia got up to go to the bathroom and Gohan looked at Vegeta. "What about Stirania?" Gohan asked as he tilted his head.

Vegeta looked up. "Come here." Vegeta ordered. Gohan got up and followed his order. The moment Gohan was within reach Vegeta pulled back his hand and backhanded Gohan. The half-saiyan yelped in pain and placed a hand on his cheek. "Don't speak unless you are spoken to."

"What is going on between you and Stirania anyway? She is locked up in a cage and seems to be held against her will." Gohan snarled back.

"Our relationship is complicated." Vegeta answered as he frowned at the half-saiyan. "And it's none of your business."

"Stirania likes you. How can you treat another woman like this while she is still caged in your room?" Gohan asked as he frowned at the man.

"I'm only talking to Rillia to make her stay here as pleasant as possible. Stirania knows how these things work." Vegeta answered. "I don't owe you an explanation. Now sit down in your corner before I decide to make you sleep in your small room instead of the larger one." Vegeta threatened. Gohan bit his lip and turned away from Vegeta.

Later that evening Gohan was making up Rillia's bed so she could fall asleep right away. Rillia walked out the small bathroom and smiled. She made sure the rope around her robe was tied and she sat down on the bed. Gohan bowed in respect. Rillia tousled Gohan's hair. "Your hair is so cute." She commented. Gohan looked up and blushed. "I'll comb it for you."

"Oh. That's really not necessary." Gohan answered as he stepped back.

"Hey. I'm the one who gets to tell you what to do, remember?" Rillia said with a smile. "So relax. I'll take care of you." Rillia grabbed a comb that was lying on the table next to the bed. Gohan looked down as Rillia gently combed his hair. "Don't be so tensed." She said when she noticed his clenched fists. "I know Vegeta can be intense. I've travelled with him more often. It's important that you don't forget who you are."

Gohan looked up at her and smiled. "That's hard when you're treated like you're nothing." He answered.

Rillia chuckled. "The only reason Vegeta is nice to me is because my father owns several planets and Vegeta wants to sell more to him." Rillia answered. "People treat me different because my father has a large influence on the universe." Rillia stopped combing and smiled. "There. Now I'm going to bed. Meet me here tomorrow morning at ten?" She suggested.

"Yes madam." Gohan saluted and walked out the room. He almost ran to his own room and pushed his palm against the scanner next to the door. Gohan grinned as the doors opened and looked around. The boy ran to the small bathroom and took a shower just because he could. He stayed in the shower longer than necessary just because he could. After this he lay down in his bed and enjoyed the soft mattress. The boy yawned tiredly and, while he wanted to stay awake so he could enjoy his own room, he drifted off into a slumber.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"So. Tell us a story." A slave boy smiled at Gohan as he sat down near the half-saiyan. Gohan looked up at him. The half-saiyan was ordered to stay with the other slaves because Rillia and Vegeta were going out together. All the child slaves were very interested in him but the adults didn't even look at him.

"What do you want me to talk about?" Gohan asked as he tilted his head.

"Anything. We don't get much exciting news around here." The same slave answered.

Gohan crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Well. There was this time when I was living in the woods on my own. I spent the night in a cave and the next morning I met a dinosaur who was staying in the cave too." Gohan told everything about those few days he spent with the dinosaur. The children around him "ooohh'd" and "aahhh'd" at the right time and gave Gohan all their attention.

Denisra walked in the room and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you all sitting here?" She complained. "You are supposed to look at the list of chores and get to it." Denisra complained.

Denisra placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here?" She asked Gohan.

Gohan looked up. "I'm here to work for you. I'm supposed to join the rest." Gohan answered as he got up.

"Oh really?" Denisra crossed her arms and smiled. "Okay. I'll have to calculate you in somewhere."

"I was hoping I could take a break from the hard work." Gohan said hopefully.

Denisra chuckled. "Oh no. Every recruit of mine will work as hard as he or she possibly can. It would make me seem soft if I would let you off the hook."

Gohan pulled a face as Denisra tilted her head thoughtfully. "What to do with you." She muttered. The other slaves were watching her with anticipation. "What do you say?" She asked the others.

"Let him help me with the bathrooms!"

"I can use help with the hallway floors."

"The dishes are always disgusting. He can do that."

Gohan pulled a face while Denisra laughed. "You would be doing the entire ship on your own if the choice was up to them." She sneered. Gohan gave her a hopeful glance.

"You're not that evil, are you?" He asked innocently.

Denisra grinned back at him. "Are you sure about that?" She asked.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Please review and let me know what you think ^.^**


	5. Chapter 5: The Suta Team

**Thanks for the reviews! I hope you will like this chapter. The differences between the old story and this one will really show in this chapter and the following chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz.**

**Chapter 5. The Suta Team.**

Denisra smiled as she eyed the young warrior in front of her. "What to do with you." She muttered. Gohan crossed his arms and gave her an expectant expression. "Area four of the ship needs an extra hand. You can help Tikono and his team." Denisra said as she looked up.

"Ahh, come on. I can use some help too." A slave complained.

"Why can't he help us?" Another boy yelled annoyed. Others were yelling things too and some even started jumping up and down thinking they would be louder if they did that.

Denisra smiled at Gohan. "You're popular." She mentioned.

Gohan snorted. "They're just trying to lessen their workload." He answered.

Denisra looked at the others. "Everyone be quiet!" She yelled. "How dare you let yourself go like this! I am disgusted by your behavior. Now be quiet!" The slaves fell silent and Denisra smiled. "Did I do a good Vegeta or what?" She asked Gohan.

The half-saiyan chuckled. "Sure." He answered.

"Good. Now Tikono, you can explain everything. Be ready before breakfast of you won't get any." She said. The slaves nodded and all left to grab the needed equipment.

Tikono looked at Gohan. "Normal routine. Four rooms and a hallway." He said as he handed a mop to Gohan. "We have to dust everything, mop the floors, clean the windows and clean everything else up." Tikono explained. "The older slaves prepare the food and wash the clothing. The children clean the rooms."

Gohan followed Tikono in a large room and looked around. The purple walls and black floor made the room very dark. Tikono handed Gohan a cloth. "You can do the windows." He said. Gohan nodded and grabbed the small ladder they brought. Gohan got ready and started cleaning the windows. The thing he liked the most about this day is that he could talk to the others. They all took advantage of that and asked Gohan everything. Where he came from. If he was a fighter. How long he had been fighting. How he met Vegeta and why he was Vegeta second in command now.

At breakfast they all sat together and ate. Denisra even grabbed her guitar and sang a song with them. She did it to keep the children happy and Gohan knew it but it was nice to see them all so excited and laughing. Gohan watched them all sing and dance and he smiled. Irisra appeared next to him. "Hey, why aren't you joining them?"

"I don't know the words." Gohan answered shortly. "Besides, I'm too old to act that way."

"Oh come on." Irisra sneered. "You can't be older than thirteen. You can act like a child once in a while. I'd take advantage of this opportunity because you won't get another one soon." She answered. Gohan hesitated.

A young boy ran to Gohan and grabbed his hand. "Come on. Let's dance." He said as he pulled Gohan up. The half-saiyan smiled and decided to forget about everything. The boy followed the others and danced around until Denisra told them to continue working.

They were ordered clean up all the clean glasses, plates, bowls and cutlery. Gohan got up when an idea popped into his mind. The boy smirked as he looked at the glasses in front of him and grabbed two spoons. The boy tapped against the glass with his spoon. After this he did the same with the other spoon. He turned a bowl upside down and grabbed a metal sieve. The others looked up when they heard tunes coming from the half-saiyan. Gohan grinned as he tried to make a repetitive tune.

A young girl frowned. "Hey. Watch out." She snarled. "Lord Vegeta will get angry if he hears you."

"I'm so scared." Gohan sneered as he looked up at the other slaves. Another boy grinned and followed Gohan's example. Gohan smiled at him and this smile broadened when other slaves joined them.

A slightly older girl smiled and started singing to their music. Other slaves joined in and suddenly the entire room was filled with music. Gohan laughed when he noticed the chaos he just created and decided he could have some fun too.

Everything was over quicker than it began though. Vegeta burst in the room. "What the hell is going on here?" He yelled.

The children froze and looked up. Gohan swallowed heavily. He didn't think Vegeta would hear them. The boy bit his lip as Vegeta stepped closer. "How dare you all behave like this? I have never heard such noise in this ship."

Gohan jumped up. "I started. Don't punish them." Gohan said as he looked up. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the half-saiyan.

"I should have known you would do this. Okay. You're leaving right now." Vegeta snarled at him.

Gohan widened his eyes. "What?" He asked. Vegeta appeared in front of him and grabbed Gohan at the back of his neck. The man tightened his grip painfully. "Vegeta?" Gohan was pushed forwards and stumbled to the door. Vegeta followed closely behind him. Gohan was pushed once again and started walking.

"You are more trouble than you're worth. If you can't work with the other slaves I'll send you somewhere else." Vegeta's nails dug into Gohan's upper arm painfully. The half-saiyan gave a worried glance at the angered man. His power level was only at level 500 at the moment. Vegeta could kill him with one uncontrolled movement.

"What are you saying?" Gohan asked. "Vegeta. Calm down." Gohan yelled when Vegeta's hand tightened on his arm even more.

"Do not tell me to calm down!" Vegeta yelled at him. Gohan swallowed heavily as Vegeta pulled him into a room. The room was filled with different space pods. Vegeta opened one and tossed Gohan in it so harshly Gohan had to extend his hands which bumped into the upper edge of the entrance of the pod harshly. "You're going to Comora."

"WHAT?" Gohan asked as he turned around.

Vegeta's pushed a scouter against Gohan's head. The boy grabbed it and put it on. "You'll be working for him today. Tune into my scouter and send me a rapport of where you are every ten minutes." Vegeta placed a scouter on his own face. The man pushed against Gohan's shoulder. "Get in there!" He snarled. Gohan let his body fall down and pulled his legs in the space pod. He watched as Vegeta pushed on buttons on the control panel. "You're leaving now. Give your scouter to Comora when you get there so I can explain everything."

Vegeta's hand hovered above a bright blue button. The man looked at Gohan. "You just lost your chance to be a soldier. You'll be my slave for at least a year." He snarled. Gohan glared at him as the door closed. The boy fixed his glare through the pink window while Vegeta pushed in the last button and the space pod pushed off.

The moment Gohan's space pod landed on the ground he pushed open the door and jumped out. "That….." Gohan clenched his fists and kept himself from saying anything since Vegeta was still listening to his scouter. The boy walked to Comora's office and knocked on the door. He was allowed to enter and he walked in. "A message from Vegeta." He muttered as he tossed the scouter on Comora's desk.

Comora chuckled. "You gained quite an attitude in just seven days." He sneered. "Last time you were here you started off with a bow."

Gohan crossed his arms. "Just talk to Vegeta."

Comora grabbed the scouter and put it on. "Lord Vegeta? Yes. Oh really? That's okay." Comora's eyes lingered on Gohan while he was talking and the half-saiyan was pretending not to notice. "What time do I have to send him back? Okay." Comora took the scouter off and placed it on his desk. He curled his hands together and leaned in his desk with his elbows. "So. You're my slave for today." He said with a smirk. Gohan sent him a glare. "Okay. You can start by cleaning up my office. Just the things that are lying around. After that you can work on sorting those papers," Comora pointed out, "on alphabetical order. I knocked them down a while ago and I should have reorganized it but I was postponing it. So now you can do it."

"That's great." Gohan snarled back.

"First you can get me something to drink. Oh, and get something for yourself to. Don't want you to dehydrate." Comora waved Gohan away. "The kitchen is three doors to the left. You know how to serve drinks right?"

Gohan saluted bitterly and turned away from the man. He spent the next few hours cleaning up everything in the office while Comora was working and giving comments here and there. Later Gohan was sitting on the ground. He slammed every paper down on the pile aggressively while sorting them on alphabetical order.

Comora watched Gohan slam another paper down. "What did you do?" He asked curiously.

Gohan looked up. "I made music. I used some glasses and pots to make music. That's my crime, okay?" He snarled back.

Comora put his hands up. "Hey. I'm not the one who enslaved you. I'm just tagging along." He answered amusedly. Gohan ignored him and continued his work. "Are you looking forward to our mission?" He asked. Gohan looked down and ignored the question. "I don't like it when people ignore me, runt." Comora snarled.

Gohan looked up. "I'm not looking forward to it. I don't want to go. You know that." Gohan answered shortly. "If you think I'm going to participate in the purging mission, you're mistaken."

"Really?" Comora's eyes glinted with amusement. "We'll see about that."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"What do you think?" Rillia asked as she held a black dress in front of her body. "This one." She moved the dress. "Or this one." She moved the purple dress she was holding in front of her body.

Gohan sighed. "They're both great." He answered. "You're a really pretty girl."

Rillia smiled. "Thank you." She answered as she looked at herself in the mirror and moved the black dress in front of her body again. "I'll just take this one." She muttered as she disappeared in the closet to change. Gohan rolled over on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Rillia appeared in the room once more and applied some make-up on her face.

Several seconds later Vegeta appeared at the door. He was there to escort her to the dining room. Rillia and Vegeta had dinner together since Vegeta only ate with the Special Forces twice every week. Vegeta was lenient and a small separate table was used for Gohan. It was standing in the corner of the room so Gohan wouldn't hear the conversation between Vegeta and Rillia. The half-saiyan could enjoy his dinner right there and decided to take advantage of that.

Later that evening he followed Rillia to her room where she dismissed him for the night. Gohan almost ran back to his room and fell down on his bed happily. Just like the past few nights Gohan tried to stay awake as long as possible so he could enjoy the comfort of the soft bed. This time something distracted him from his sleep though.

"Gohan?"

Gohan looked up and widened his eyes. "Dad?" He asked.

"Yes. It's me, Gohan." Goku answered with a smile. The Saiyan was standing behind King Kai with his hand on the Kai's back. He had been begging King Kai for this for quite some time now and grinned widely when he heard his son's voice.

"Father! It's so good to hear you!" Gohan answered with a grin.

"How are you doing, son?"

"I'm fine considering everything." Gohan muttered as he stared up at the ceiling.

Goku frowned. "I'm sorry, Gohan. Piccolo told me what happened when he arrived here. I didn't expect Vegeta to do something like this. Is he hurting you?"

"He's just being a jerk." Gohan answered with a sigh. "He hasn't really hurt me. He just punished me a few times."

Goku clenched his fists. "I should have been there, Gohan. I should have helped you. I'm sorry." He said guiltily.

Gohan looked up. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be fine. Maybe I'm going to accept his offer anyway." Gohan answered with a smile. "I'm still half-saiyan, right? I was born to fight. I've been fulfilling that mission all my life. Maybe it's time I gave in to it."

"You don't have to do that, Gohan. Just be careful. Don't make Vegeta too mad. I would hate it if he killed you. Even though I miss you a lot."

"Be true to yourself, Gohan." A gruff voice continued when Goku closed his mouth. "That's the only way you'll survive."

"Piccolo? Are you there?" Gohan muttered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone with him. I could have helped you." Gohan said sadly.

"Don't worry kiddo. I'm fine. Vegeta gave me quite a quick death. I'm luckier than you are." Piccolo answered with a small smirk.

Gohan smiled as his eyes moved over the ceiling. "I'm still sorry."

"Don't be, kid." Piccolo answered.

"I'm sorry if Vegeta hurt you, Gohan." Goku said with a frown. "I wish I could be there to help you."

"I'll be fine dad. Vegeta is tough but I don't think he will hurt me without a valid reason." Gohan answered. The boy closed his eyes. "He's going to send me on a purging mission. How will I survive that without hurting anyone?"

"You won't." Piccolo answered. "It's hard Gohan but you'll have to play by the rules of Vegeta's world. The strongest will survive and the weak will parish. That's how you're going to live."

"But I don't want that." Gohan answered with a frown. "I won't do it." Gohan clenched his fists and growled in frustration.

"Gohan. Don't forget. Whatever you do, I will always be proud of you." Goku said with a frown. "You can never disappoint me, okay?"

Gohan nodded and sighed. "It's nice to hear you again, dad." Gohan said as he looked up.

"It's nice to hear you too, son." Goku answered with a smile.

"Can we talk more often?" Gohan asked. "I'm alone in my room every night. I'll have to whisper when I'm back in the closet but I can still talk."

Goku nodded. "Sure, Gohan. Just get some rest for now, okay?"

"Yes. Good night dad. Good night, Piccolo." Gohan said as he looked up at the ceiling again.

"Good night, Gohan."

"Rest, kid."

Gohan sighed as he almost felt them leave the room and pouted silently. The boy wondered how long it would take before he could speak to his father again. Gohan closed his eyes and decided to go to sleep and enjoy that while he could.

The next morning Gohan was woken up early. Someone knocked on his door and Gohan yawned. Another knock made him frown at the door. He got up and opened the door. "Good morning, Gohan." Sannera said with a smile. "You might want to change into some clothes and come with me."

"Sure." Gohan answered as he turned around and quickly changed into some clothing. The boy pulled on his blue uniform and white armor with beige shoulder guards. He pulled on his black boots and ran back to the door. He closed the door behind him and followed Sannera. "What's going on?"

"Well. Once a month the slaves get new underwear so they can throw the old rags away. On that day they can go swimming in their old underwear." Sannera opened a door and showed a large swimming pool. Gohan gasped and grinned as he watched all the children swim around in the pool.

"Can I join them?" Gohan asked as he looked up. Sannera grinned and motioned for Gohan to do what he wanted to do. Gohan jumped up and got rid of his clothing until he was only wearing his boxers. He then jumped in the water and joined in on the fun. He swam to the familiar faces and grinned. "Hey!" He yelled as he reached them. They all greeted him.

"Does Vegeta know about this?" Gohan asked curiously.

The slaves all shook their heads. "Nope." One of them answered. "He doesn't know but we do this every month. He doesn't swim here very often and the sisters make sure he isn't around."

Gohan grinned. "This is great." He answered as he looked around. "I wish things like this could happen more often."

"Let's just enjoy this for now." The same slave answered with grin. "Let's play!" Gohan nodded and followed his friends to the middle of the pool.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan sighed and spread his arms and legs as he was lying on the bed. "Good bye, bed." He muttered as he pouted. "I will miss you."

Gohan forced himself to get up and got ready to serve Rillia for the last time. He met up with her while she was having breakfast. The two exchanged smiles and chatted while they were eating. Vegeta appeared when Rillia was getting ready to leave. They had already landed several hours ago but Rillia had to make sure she didn't forget anything. Gohan helped her as much as he could and within no time she was standing in the entryway.

"Well. Thanks for bringing me here, Vegeta." She said as she looked up at Vegeta. "It's been nice."

Vegeta nodded as answer and Rillia turned to Gohan. She knelt down and smiled at the half-saiyan. Gohan smiled back at her and she showed a silver necklace. "It's for you." She said when she noticed Gohan's confused face. "It's a thank you for helping me while I was here. Can I put it on?"

Gohan nodded as answer and she gently locked the necklace around his neck. Gohan pushed the silver stone that was connected to the necklace up with his finger and looked at it. "Thank you." Gohan said as he looked up. Vegeta rolled his eyes as Rillia turned away from them.

"Thanks again for letting me stay here." Rillia said as she looked over her shoulder. "Good bye." She waved once more and left. The moment she got in the floating blue car and closed the door, Vegeta pressed on the button next to the entryway to close the door of the ship. Vegeta looked down and frowned. He reached down and ripped the necklace away from Gohan's neck. The half-saiyan looked up and frowned.

"Warriors don't wear jewelry." Vegeta sneered as he tossed the necklace aside and walked away. Gohan quickly grabbed the necklace and hid it in his armor. He followed Vegeta and wondered where the man was going now. They arrived in Vegeta's office where the man sat down. The man looked at Gohan. "Who is the strongest warrior in the universe?"

"That's a stupid question. You are." Gohan answered with a frown.

"Don't forget that." Vegeta answered. The man pushed against a small cup filled with pens and pencils with his boot and it fell to the ground. "Clean that up." He ordered. Gohan took a deep breath and knelt down to clean it up.

Vegeta waited until Gohan placed the cup back on the table. "Hand that pencil to me." He ordered as he pointed to a pencil. Gohan pressed his lips together and handed it over. Vegeta placed his boots on the desk. "Start studying. I might test you on your knowledge later today and you'll be sorry if you don't know the answers to my questions."

Gohan took a deep and steadying breath and followed Vegeta's order once more.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Please." Gohan whined as he folded his hands together in front of him. "Please don't make me go."

Vegeta sent him a very annoyed glance. Gohan pulled the saddest face he could pull off but Vegeta's uninterested eyes moved back to his work. Gohan sighed. "Come on. You can't make me go." Gohan continued.

"Watch me." Vegeta answered shortly. "Let's get you to the ship. They're leaving soon."

Gohan sighed heavily. The boy clenched his fists and stomped on the ground with a foot. "I won't go!" He yelled childishly. Vegeta turned around and raised an eyebrow at the pouting eleven year old.

"Do I need to carry you there?" Vegeta asked as he stepped closer. Gohan sank into a fighting stance as he watched Vegeta come closer. The man tilted his head. "Your power level is at five-hundred."

"I have my nails and they can scratch." Gohan snarled back. Vegeta laughed loudly. The man appeared behind Gohan and he gave the boy a push. Gohan stumbled forwards but regained his composure and turned around. Vegeta extended his arm.

"Scratch me." He ordered. Gohan looked up at him. "Come on then. Carry out your pitiful threat." Vegeta snarled at him.

"Well. If I'm so pitiful I might just fit right into your army." Gohan snarled back. Vegeta frowned and pulled back a hand. The hand landed on Gohan's cheek before he noticed what was going on. The boy stumbled back from the sheer force of it and frowned up at him.

Vegeta quickly locked the collar around Gohan's wrists and forced the boy to follow him. Gohan tried to pull away as Vegeta forced him to walk to the launching area of Vegeta's ship. The spaceship they were going to use was connected to this ship and they could enter it through a long hallway. They arrived at the door of the hallway and Gohan noticed a group of warriors. They were all complaining about something and looked up when Vegeta walked in.

"Lord Vegeta!" They all knelt down in respect. Gohan noticed they were the warriors who had dinner with Vegeta once a week. So this was the elite team when they were ready to fight. Gohan eyed them with interest.

"At ease." Vegeta answered as he dropped Gohan's leash. The half-saiyan thought about running away right now but he knew Vegeta would catch him within a second and he didn't want to look weak in front of these warriors. "I am here to introduce you to a new soldier who is going to join your team from now on." Vegeta said.

"Yeah. We heard." A warrior answered. Gohan immediately concluded that boy must be the youngest in the team. His face seemed youthful and the gleam in his eyes was optimistic. He was also the smallest member of the team. "Where is he?" They all searched for the new warrior with their eyes.

"This is him." Vegeta answered as he inclined his head to the half-saiyan next to him. Gohan rolled his eyes at the exaggerated gasps from the warriors. Comora crossed his arms as he eyed the half-saiyan.

"It's time to go." Comora said as he turned around.

"Don't let him get away." Vegeta mentioned to the warriors before he reached down to free Gohan from the collar around his wrists. The half-saiyan glared at his master for this.

The youngest of the warriors tilted his head as he watched Gohan step closer. "You're the refreshment boy." He stated. The others agreed on that observation. Gohan closed his eyes. He knew they would recognize him but he hoped they say anything about it.

"Oh. That's right! At least we won't hydrate during our trip to the planet." Another warrior joked. The others chuckled.

Gohan kept himself from groaning out loud and wondered how he was supposed to survive this trip. "Well. Let's go, refreshment boy." The youngest warrior said cheerfully. They all turned around and left for the ship.

"Refreshment boy." Gohan stated.

Vegeta chuckled. "You'll have fun with them." He answered amusedly. "Now go before they chase you in there."

As on cue Comora turned around. "Hey rookie. Are you coming or what?" He yelled as he placed his hands on his hips.

"My name is Gohan." Gohan yelled back.

"Hey. At least it's not refreshment boy." Vegeta commented.

"Well they're not really making progress either." Gohan snarled back. "Please don't make me go." He begged as he looked up. "Please. I'll do anything."

"I just want you to purge the planet." Vegeta answered as he crossed his arms. "Now leave or I'll tell them to take your hand and guide you in."

"Come on, rookie. How long are you going to make us wait?" The youngest warrior yelled. Gohan closed his eyes and turned away from Vegeta. The boy clenched and unclenched his fists as he walked to the doorway where the two warriors were waiting.

The younger warrior held a hand above Gohan's head. "You're really small." He observed.

Gohan ignored this. The warrior followed him. "You're not really talkative, are you?" He asked.

"Just because I don't want to talk to you doesn't mean I'm not talkative." Gohan snarled back.

The boy gasped. "It speaks." He exclaimed.

Comora chuckled. "The boy doesn't want to go, Tobney." He said as he pressed on a button to close the door.

Tobney frowned up at him. "He's doesn't want to go?" He repeated. "You don't want to go?" He asked Gohan. "Why not?"

"Is there a bedroom of some sort in here?" Gohan asked Comora, completely ignoring the frowning warrior.

"Yes. Why don't you show him to it, Tobney?" Comora suggested.

"Why don't you just give me the directions?" Gohan answered annoyed. Comora smirked and turned away from him.

Gohan growled in annoyance. Tobney tilted his head. "I have a feeling you don't like me." He observed.

"Is it that obvious?" Gohan sneered as he started walking.

Tobney followed him and placed his hands on his hips. "Hey, I don't deserve this treatment." He complained as he caught up with Gohan.

"You're a murderer."

"And you're in training for it. Are we going to label everyone, slave?" Tobney sneered.

"Look. I don't want to be here so I'm not going to interact with you." Gohan snarled back. The boy opened a door to find a supply closet and growled.

Tobney rolled his bright blue eyes. "I'll lead you to it." He said as he started walking. Gohan followed him and took his time to study the warrior. The man had a light blue complexion and dark blue hair. His eyes and irises were both bright blue and small white dots in the middle of his eyes indicated his pupils.

The boy was wearing a black uniform and a brown armor with white shoulder guards. Tobney opened a door and motioned for Gohan to walk in. The half-saiyan looked around in the large room. Five bunk beds were spread around the room. Gohan noticed different armors and uniforms lying on several beds. He noticed one of the bunk beds was entirely empty and climbed up to the higher bed. There seemed to be more distance between them if he was sleeping higher in the room.

The boy floated up to it and lay down. Tobney crossed his arms. "You're going to sleep already?"

"I'm not interested in anything else. I just want to get there and get it over with." Gohan answered as he folded his hands together under his head and looked up at the ceiling.

A few hours later Tobney walked in the room again. "Dinner is served." He said as he eyed the half-saiyan. Gohan was sitting in the window sill. He was staring at the darkness outside the window.

"I'm not hungry."

"Okay. Dinner is now. You can eat only now or you'll have to wait until breakfast. And we have a training session tonight and tomorrow morning so you'll need the strength. I recommend that you come with me and eat something." Tobney said as he leaned against the doorway.

Gohan looked at him as his mind went over the options he had. The boy growled in annoyance and jumped off the window sill. He followed Tobney to a small room where a long table was standing in the middle. The other four warriors were already eating. Gohan sat down and his eyes moved over the strange things on the table. All the edible objects reminded him of the food he knew from planet Earth but there were subtle differences. Light green drinks were spread over the table and Gohan noticed small bubbles floating up in the glasses.

Gohan saw a something that looked like a fried chicken but there were purple lines covering the flesh. It almost seemed like someone drew the lines on the skin. A lonely dark blue salad was sitting on the right. Gohan grabbed a light blue tomato-like vegetable and took a bite. It even tasted just like a tomato.

Gohan took this time to observe the other warriors. Tobney was sitting next to him and seemed to enjoy the food. Comora was the largest warrior. His yellow hair was running down his back. The white gloves covered his turquoise skin. His bright red eyes were focused on the food entirely.

The warrior next to Comora was tall too. His pink skin was littered with scars so Gohan assumed he was the weakest in the bunch. The man had black eyes and irises and only two white pupils. Gohan noticed someone called him Itoro.

The fourth warrior was cheerfully telling a heroic story. It seemed that he visited his home planet and a group of goons broke into his house and stole everything important. Apparently, his wife had tried to stop them but she was outmatched. She was one of the generals of the army which is why she couldn't just let them steal her property. The man, named Koan, chased all the goons down and made sure they paid for their deed.

The last warrior, Suno, was listening to the story with interest. His blue eyes were moving over the table to find something edible and he leaned forwards to grab some silver spaghetti-like food. Gohan's eyes moved over the gray skin of the warrior. The man had a toad-like skin and small spikes stuck out of his head.

After dinner Comora got up. "Gentlemen. The training will start in about two hours. We have a new recruit to initiate and I have a new technique I want you all to learn. It will come in handy on the planet we have to purge." Comora explained as he leaned on the table with his hands.

The others all agreed cheerfully and got up. Tobney was about to walk out the room when he heard Gohan's voice and looked back. "You're not expecting me to train with you, are you?" Gohan asked Comora.

The man crossed his arms and smirked. "Yes. I am." He answered. "And you will train with us. You're part of the team now."

Gohan jumped up and slammed his hands down on the table. "I'm not part of your team. I'm a prisoner, remember?" Gohan held up his hand and showed the ki-bond around his wrist.

"He's right." Comora and Gohan looked sideways and noticed Tobney was walking closer. "We should take them off."

"We have strict orders to keep the ki-bonds on when we're not training." Comora answered frowning.

"Oh come on. How high is his power level estimation?" Tobney tilted his head.

"500 000." Comora answered as he looked back at Gohan. "Not lower." *

"Well. Our weakest soldier is at a million." Tobney answered as he crossed his arms. "He can't escape. Get those bonds off."

Comora frowned and eyed the half-saiyan. Gohan decided to stay quiet. He would probably only make things worse if he said anything. Tobney raised an eyebrow at Comora. The man frowned and sighed. "Fine." He said. Gohan raised both his eyebrows. "But he is your responsibility. Keep an eye on him."

"I won't let him out of my sight." Tobney answered as he saluted.

Gohan pouted as Comora stepped closer to him. "Maybe I'd rather keep those ki-bonds on." Gohan muttered thoughtfully. Tobney smirked at him as Comora knelt down to release Gohan from the bonds. The bonds landed on the ground with a thud and Gohan immediately powered up. He didn't miss how Comora clenched his fists and Tobney placed his feet firmly on the ground. They seemed to expect that he was going to attack.

Gohan wasn't planning on it though. He didn't want to get on their bad-side just yet. He would get his chance later. Tobney couldn't keep an eye on him at all times.

"Thanks." Gohan muttered as he lowered his hands.

"Don't thank me. Thank Tobney. And behave." Comora gave Gohan a strict glance. "We're training in two hours. It's your job to make sure he gets there, Tobney." Comora mentioned to the twenty-three year old. Tobney nodded in understanding.

Gohan looked up at the older warrior. "Come on, rookie." Tobney said as he motioned for Gohan to follow him. Gohan took a deep breath and followed Tobney to the hallway. He got a tour around the ship. Tobney showed him the bathroom, training room and a library.

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Do you guys even know how to read?" Gohan asked as he looked up at Tobney.

The man smirked as he crossed his arms. "I can calculate the angles needed to land the ship right. I can tell you the weakness of every race just by studying someone for a few seconds. The others can do the same thing." Gohan gave him a blank stare. "Vegeta doesn't want dumb warriors like Freeza had. We are trained to be smart. And you are going to undergo the same training." Tobney answered.

Gohan scoffed. "You can force me to train but you can't force me to learn things by heart." Gohan answered with a frown as he turned away from Tobney.

The older warrior followed him. "Are you planning on fighting us on everything?" Tobney asked curiously as he appeared next to Gohan. The half-saiyan didn't answer. "Cause that's going to be tough. We're all sadists. You don't want to be punished by the others."

"I'm not afraid of you." Gohan answered with a frown. "Now leave me alone. I won't leave the ship. Vegeta will hunt me down everywhere I go. I can't escape." Gohan clenched his fists. "And I know that."

Later that day Gohan was lead into the training room. The boy looked around and eyed the room with interest. The room was dark and small lights were spread over the ceiling. It almost seemed like the night sky. Gohan smiled at the sight before he looked back at the other warriors.

Comora watched the two young warriors step closer and motioned for everyone to listen to him. "Alright. The first training session of this trip. We have a lot of work to do. The warriors on the planet are very good in using their ki to attack. That is their strength and their weakness. I have a technique which will allow us to absorb the ki temporarily to make them weaker."

Gohan tilted his head. This could get interesting. Comora noticed his glance and smirked. "Too bad, kiddo. You're not allowed to learn it yet." He sneered.

"Why not? I'm part of the team, right?" Gohan answered annoyed.

"First start acting like it." Comora answered shortly. Gohan scoffed as Comora continued. "We'll do the normal routine. First we're going to have a free for all as a warm-up and after that we'll do a little game." The others nodded in understanding.

The free for all went relatively fast and Gohan already noticed one thing. The warriors were all very strong. Every time one of them attacked him he could feel his power clashing against his own power. They all knew how to fight and their techniques were amazing. It made Gohan wonder if their training would influence his own techniques too. It probably would.

The first game Comora initiated reminded Gohan of a similar game from his own planet. "We all know how it works but I'm explaining it for the rookie." Comora clarified as he crossed his arms. "The room is divided into three areas. The winner of the match will go to the field on his right and the loser will stay where he is." Comora uncrossed his arms. "Everyone can choose a spot. Rookie, you are on the left field."

"Why?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"I have a feeling you'll be staying there." Comora answered with a smirk. Gohan frowned at him but decided to listen. The boy complained under his breath about jerks underestimating him. Little did he know, he was the one underestimating the other warriors and he was about to find out the hard way.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

***That's how high his power level is here. Please don't whine about it.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6: Mistake number one

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz.  
>Thanks for the reviews!<strong>

**Chapter 6. Mistake number one.**

Gohan watched as the stars flew by in high speed. The half-saiyan leaned against the cold glass of the window with his forehead. His legs were bent and his arms were wrapped around them. The boy was wearing a fresh new blue uniform and armor with the Suta Team logo on his right chest plate. The boy made an invisible circle with his gloved finger.

"I've got a feeling this will become your favorite hideout." Tobney's voice mentioned as the source of the sound stepped closer. Gohan ignored him and continued to stare at the outside world. "You seem sad." Tobney said as he eyed the half-saiyan.

"He was right." Gohan whispered. Tobney raised an eyebrow. "Comora was right."

"Yeah. He usually is." Tobney crossed his arms thoughtfully. "That can get quite annoying after a while. So, what's the problem?"

Gohan sighed. "I stayed on the left field the entire time." Tobney leaned against the wall. "I lost every match."

"Of course. You're just a rookie." Tobney answered with a shrug. "What did you expect? That you could come in here and beat us all?" He sneered.

"No." Gohan answered. "But I didn't assume I would be the weakest soldier here."

"We're the elite team, rookie. There is a reason for that. Vegeta knows who to put in the elite team." Tobney answered. "There is a reason why he placed you with us."

Gohan sighed. "Maybe he just wanted to bring me down." He muttered.

Tobney shrugged. "Maybe." He answered. "I don't think so though." Tobney continued. "Besides, you didn't even do that bad. Yes, they beat you but there were some close calls. You've got the others worried." He said as his eyes moved to the showers where the other warriors were.

"Have I got you worried?" Gohan asked as his eyes moved to the other warrior. "You're strong. You're the second strongest of the bunch."

Tobney gave him a wary glance. "How do you know that without consulting a scouter?" He asked.

Gohan shrugged. "I can feel it."

Tobney almost fell sideways and widened his eyes. "You can feel power levels?" He asked. "How?"

"It's easy. It's almost like breathing and walking to me." Gohan answered. "It's not as accurate as the scouters can do it. I don't feel a number but I can compare it with others power levels." Gohan explained. "And in comparison to you the other warriors all seemed weaker. Except for Comora."

"That's amazing." Tobney muttered thoughtfully. "The others will probably go to bed soon. If you don't want any company I suggest you fall asleep as soon as you possibly can." Tobney warned.

Gohan smiled. "Thanks." He answered as he jumped off the window sill. Tobney shrugged and walked out the room. Gohan sighed and fell down on his bed. The boy stared up at the ceiling as his mind went over the recent fights he had.

_Itoro appeared in front of Gohan. The man eyed the fighting stance Gohan was in and tilted his head. "Almost perfect." He observed. "There is just one tiny flaw." _

"_Where?" Gohan asked as he looked down at his own stance. _

_Itoro smirked and appeared in front of him. "You're not looking at me." He sneered. Gohan's head snapped up and he blocked a punch from Itoro. The man nodded approvingly and pushed his knee right into Gohan's stomach. The boy gasped as the air was forced out of his longs. Itoro immediately grabbed a fist of Gohan's hair and threw the boy up in the air. He opened his mouth and a ki-blast was sent from his face. Gohan widened his eyes and only got time to cross his arms in front of him. _

_The blast burned at his skin as he was forced to bounce against the wall behind him. Gohan groaned as he pushed his energy away from his body and pushed the blast away. Gohan regained his breath as his eyes searched for his opponent. _

"_Right here." Gohan's eyes shot to the right only to be caught by a punch. Gohan was launched back and received another punch. The boy blocked the third punch but before he knew it a kick connected to his shoulder. The boy whimpered and tried to block the next punch but Itoro put too much power in it. He was forced into the defensive as Itoro launched attacks to his address and it seemed a second later to Gohan when…_

"_It's time!" Comora yelled. Gohan and Itoro ceased their match. The man smirked at him._

"_I win." He said. "You didn't land a punch on me and I landed quite some punches on you." The man waved and moved to the field on the right. Gohan sighed as he placed a hand on his forehead._

Gohan closed his eyes when he noticed the others were walking in the room. He hoped they wouldn't notice he was really awake. Or that they would just leave him alone if they did notice.

The following morning Gohan was woken up by Tobney. The twenty-year old cheerfully led him to the bathroom and even offered to help him get dressed. Gohan kindly refused this mock offer but he did get the hint and quickly changed. He joined the others for breakfast. He tried to leave immediately after breakfast but Comora got to him before he could leave.

"Rookie. I need to talk to you." He said as he tapped against Gohan's shoulder. "Follow me." Gohan followed him to the room he assumed was the living room. There Comora sat down and produced a few sheets of paper. Gohan watched as he laid them out on the table. "You have a lot to catch up on. Our team is specialized in several techniques which only we know. You have to learn those techniques as well."

Gohan nodded in understanding and Comora continued: "We have to make a schedule for your training. But don't worry. You'll join our normal routine. We have two collective spars every day and one duo spar with another member of the team. During the duo spars we will teach you the technique and I'll revise them during the evening spar. Got it?"

Gohan's heart sank. Three training sessions every day? Was he supposed to be defeated three times a day? The boy sighed at the prospect and his body slumped in the couch. Comora didn't seem to notice as he wrote down a schedule and mentioned what Gohan was supposed to learn every day. The boy watched sadly but smiled when Comora looked at him and nodded to everything Comora said.

Comora left Gohan to think about everything. The boy leaned back in the couch and sighed unhappily. Gohan suddenly sat up and his senses moved around the ship. There were three warriors in one room which he gathered was the training room. Comora was walking around in the kitchen. Tobney was in their bedroom. Gohan raised an eyebrow. He was all alone and he could do whatever he wanted.

"_I will destroy your planet if you escape." _Vegeta's voice sounded in his mind. He wasn't planning on escaping. He knew he had to stay under Vegeta's command to keep his planet save. But that didn't mean he had to stay in this ship, right?

Gohan nodded. He was going back to Vegeta's ship and hope Vegeta would find it too much trouble to sent him back. Hopefully, he would let Gohan stay there.

Gohan didn't even consider the other option that Vegeta might send him back. The boy had a one track mind: Getting out of here. Gohan started running as he got closer to the door. The boy opened it and ran inside. He grabbed a remote and opened the door of a space pod.

The boy looked at the remote as he went to climb in the pod. Then he felt something and he looked up. "Crap." He muttered as he jumped out the space pod. He quickly pressed on the button to close the space pod and was about to put the remote down when the door opened.

Tobney walked inside. "Hey rookie. What do you say we…" Tobney's eyes moved to the still closing space pod and the remote in Gohan's hand. The half-saiyan quickly put it down but it was already too late. The half-saiyan watched with a hard beating heart as realization dawned on Tobney's face. "You're trying to get out, aren't you?" Tobney asked.

"No!" Gohan answered. "I was just... I was admiring the pods and…" Gohan stuttered as he motioned to the pod.

"And I caught you in the act." Tobney tilted his head. "Didn't Vegeta say he would destroy your planet if you ran away?" Tobney asked curiously.

"I didn't want to runaway. I just wanted to go back to Vegeta's ship." Gohan blabbed out. The boy closed his mouth and closed his eyes.

Tobney laughed. "The first thing Vegeta would have done is sending you right back." He sneered. Tobney stepped back and pressed on the button next to the door. The door opened and Tobney opened his mouth. "Hey!" He yelled loudly. Gohan flinched and shook his head. "THE ROOKIE IS TRYING TO RUNAWAY!" Tobney's voice barked through the ship.

Gohan felt like a heavy weight was placed in his stomach. "Please be quiet!" He hissed.

Tobney smirked as they heard footsteps running closer. Gohan stepped back when he noticed Tobney was gradually powering up. The older warrior suddenly disappeared to reappear behind Gohan.

Gohan whirled around and tried to punch him but Tobney grabbed his wrist and twisted the arm on Gohan's back. The boy whimpered in pain.

Gohan looked up to see the other warriors walk in the room. "I wasn't trying to escape." Gohan snarled at him. "Really."

"Cut it out. I can see it when someone is lying." Tobney answered as he looked down at the half-saiyan. "It's the motions someone unconsciously does when he or she is lying. You were displaying three of the seven symptoms just now."

Itoro raised an eyebrow. "Did you really think you would be able to get away?" He asked curiously. "Vegeta controls the whole universe."

"I've got you." Tobney teased in a sing-song voice. Gohan frowned as Tobney forced him to step closer to the others. "So, what now? Shall we ask Comora if we can punish him?" Tobney suggested cheerfully.

Gohan noticed some raised eyebrows at this suggestion. He didn't get the time to think about it since the others agreed with Tobney. "What?" Gohan exclaimed. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything wrong."

"Better save than sorry, right." Itoro answered as he turned around. Tobney forced Gohan to follow them.

Comora was slightly surprised when the group walked in his office. The man placed his pen on the desk. "What is going on here?" He asked as his eyes moved to Gohan.

"The rookie tried to escape." Itoro answered. "Are we allowed to help him understand his wrongs?" he asked in mock seriousness.

Comora chuckled. "You have one hour. Try not to do any permanent damage." He answered as he grabbed his pen.

"What? You can't do this!" Gohan yelled as Tobney turned him around. Gohan felt Tobney's fingers tighten around his arm when he tried to pull away.

"So what are we going to do?" Itoro asked the others as he eyed the half-saiyan. Gohan was pushed inside a room and Kaon closed the door and locked it. Gohan's eyes moved over the rest of the room. A window would only mean his doom and the only door was just being locked.

"A door won't keep me inside." Gohan snarled at them.

"You won't get to the door." Kaon answered as he crossed his arms.

"Then why did you lock it?" Gohan countered as he raised an eyebrow.

Kaon's fully black eyes moved from Gohan to the other warriors. "What are we going to do with him?" He asked them.

Gohan frowned and got in a fighting stance. He wasn't going to keel over just like that. Kaon walked to the closet and started rummaging in it. Gohan stepped back as Tobney and Suno closed him in. Kaon turned around and showed a black whip. Gohan widened his eyes. "Oh no. no. no." Gohan said with a frown. The shook his head. "That's not going to happen."

"I heard Vegeta showed you how to handle a whip." Tobney sneered as he stepped closer. Gohan stepped back again.

"Stay away from me." Gohan snarled back. "This isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair." Tobney answered as his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You should know." Itoro sneered as his eyes moved to Tobney. The younger warrior ignored this taunt and kept his eyes focused on Gohan.

"Who can do the honors?" Kaon asked as he twirled the whip in his hands. Gohan frowned and chose this moment to attack. He jumped up and pulled back a fist. He tried to punch the closest target but Tobney jumped out of the way. Gohan sent a blast to Itoro and the man was hit head on.

The others only got a second to blink at Gohan's power but they recovered very quickly. Gohan attacked Kaon and smacked the whip out of his hands. The man frowned and clenched his fists. Gohan punched the man in his stomach. Kaon gasped and stepped back while Gohan whirled around in the air and kicked against the man's head.

Gohan turned around to catch Tobney's fist. He pulled Tobney closer and kneed the older warrior in the stomach. Gohan pushed Tobney away and jumped in the air to avoid a punch from Kaon. A hand locked around Gohan's foot and threw him to the ground. Gohan landed on his hands and knees and tried to get up.

A foot was pushed into his stomach and forced his body up in the air. Tobney curled his hands together and slammed them into Gohan's back. The boy's body almost doubled over and he was thrown back to the ground. Gohan's body was already shaking in pain but he ignored the stings in his back as he got up.

The boy found himself surrounded. The other warriors didn't leave him any space to breathe as they gathered around his small frame. Gohan frowned and pulled back a fist but Kaon grabbed his elbow before he could even launch it. Kaon's other hand locked around Gohan's second arm. He pressed Gohan's arms against his sides. "That's taken care of." He said.

"Who is going first?" Itoro asked.

"Tobney." Kaon answered as his eyes moved to Tobney. "You are the one who caught him. You can make the first scars." Itoro held the whip out to Tobney as Kaon spoke.

Tobney accepted the whip and before Gohan knew it hands were attacking him from every direction. The bands of his armor were unlocked and the armor was pulled away from his body. Gohan stepped back and pushed every hand that came close away. The others gave annoyed growls when they noticed Gohan was defending his body well enough.

"I'll handle that." Tobney said with a smirk. The others nodded and Kaon and Itoro grabbed Gohan's arms. The boy frowned as they turned him around and walked to the metal table. They slammed Gohan's arms down on it and forced him to lean on the table with his arms.

Tobney extended one finger and a sudden light shimmered around it. The boy pushed Gohan's hair aside and moved the ki-knife to Gohan's uniform. "Stay still if you don't want me to cut you." He said as he grabbed the hem of his uniform.

"Like you're not going to do worse." Gohan snarled back as he struggled. His arms were able to move up a centimeter before the other two pushed them down again.

"Yeah. But hey. It's your call." Tobney answered with a smirk. Gohan swallowed when he felt the heat of the knife against his skin. He didn't want to obey to their orders but he did notice how close the knife was to his skin. Even breathing in too deeply would cause a new scar.

Gohan resisted the urge to arch his back as he felt the heat moving down. Tobney ripped the last part of Gohan's uniform and pushed it off his shoulders. "Good boy." Itoro released Gohan's arm with one hand to pat on Gohan's head. The boy frowned at him and tried to pull his arms away. Itoro quickly grabbed his arm and pushed it down on the table again.

Tobney stepped back and tightened his grip on the whip. Gohan was now breathing very quickly. The boy bit his lip until drips of blood ran down his chin. He still recalled Vegeta's punishment when he tried to leave Vegeta's ship. He could still feel the whip crushing his skin. Gohan's arms were shaking as he tried to power up. The others noticed it was getting harder to hold him. "Hurry up Tobney." Itoro yelled.

Tobney didn't need any more encouragement. The boy pulled back the whip and smashed it against Gohan's back. Gohan let out a strangled gasp. The boy didn't even get the time to recover as another lash landed on his back. Gohan let his head fall down tiredly. He groaned as another lash landed on his skin. He could feel warm drips running down his back and assumed it was blood. Tobney observed the damage the third lash had done and pulled the whip back once more. Gohan's whole body jolted once more. Tobney finished his turn by lashing one more time.

Gohan whimpered. "No more." He whispered.

"Oh come on." Kaon sneered. "Only Tobney has had his turn. We all want a crack at you." He answered. "We can all give five lashes."

Gohan looked up at him. He slowly shook his head and let his head fall down again. Tobney switched places with Kaon and he tousled Gohan's hair playfully. Gohan tensed and the high sound of the whip racing through the air was the only warning he got. The boy jumped as the whip connected with his skin once more.

A while later Itoro stepped back. "That was it. It's over, Rookie." He said cheerfully. Tobney and Suna released Gohan and stepped back too. They didn't really need to hold Gohan anymore. The half-saiyan was almost lying on the table by now. He was breathing heavily as his arms were spread over the table. Drops of blood were running down his back. The boy sighed as he tried to ignore the burning on his back.

"So what now?" Kaon asked as he grabbed Gohan by his shoulder and pulled him up. Gohan stumbled back and was caught by Tobney. The boy made sure that he was holding Gohan's shoulders and wouldn't get any blood on his hands. Gohan's legs trembled slightly and he hoped they wouldn't give out on him.

"We still have thirty minutes." Itoro answered with a shrug. "I don't really know what to do."

"Don't you think this is enough?" Tobney asked as he pulled Gohan's shoulders and made him arch his back. Gohan tensed as the wounds on his back throbbed painfully.

Kaon walked in with a cup. The man gave Gohan a push, forcing him to kneel down, and placed a foot on his back. The man tilted the cup and a white fluid ran down Gohan's hair and neck. "What the hell?" Tobney said as he raised an eyebrow.

Gohan gasped as the milk-like substance hit his body and he looked at the goo on his hand. The boy looked up. The warriors were all stricken by Gohan's ultimately shocked expression. Wanting to see that expression again; Tobney grabbed a bottle with juice and emptied the contents over Gohan's head too. The half-saiyan tensed as the liquid hit him and moved away from him. "Stop that!" He yelled.

Tobney snickered at his reaction and the others seemed to find some amusement in it too. Before he knew it they had collected different kinds of food and fluids and attacked him with it. A dough-like substance was rubbed against his skin; terrible smelling liquids fell down on his body. Every time he tried to get away one of the warriors would push him back to the ground until he just gave in…

Comora walked in the room. "Okay guys. Your hour is over. You… "The man widened his eyes at the scene in front of him. The five warriors were hovering over a small figure on the ground. The half-saiyan was curled up with his arms covering his head. The upper part of his uniform was missing and his body was littered with different colors of the different foods or other substances thrown at him. A small pool of a blood-red liquid was connected to Gohan's still bleeding back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Comora asked in a loud voice. The others all stopped and looked up.

"We're punishing him." Kaon answered as if it was obvious.

Comora closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Do you know how old he is?" He asked as he opened his eyes. The others exchanged glances and a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere settled in the room. "He's eleven years old, guys!" Comora snarled at them as he stalked closer.

The man grabbed Gohan's wrist. The boy flinched and looked up. He noticed Comora's face and a terrified expression appeared on his face. Was Comora here to claim is own turn in whipping him? Comora noticed this questioning glance. "Don't worry. It's over." He said as he pulled Gohan up. The man let Gohan steady himself and then gave him a small push as a sign that he could start walking. Gohan followed this order and looked down as they moved out of the room. The others stayed silent as they watched the two walk away.

Comora took a deep breath as he opened the rejuvenation tank. "Get out of those clothes and in this thing." He ordered as he eyed the half-saiyan. Gohan was trying to rub off some of the white paint on his skin but he was only making it worse. The half-saiyan did as he was told and climbed into the rejuvenation tank. "You are giving us more trouble than you're worth." Comora muttered as he gave Gohan an encouraging pat on his shoulder. Gohan didn't answer as he sat down and closed his eyes.

A while later the tank drained the liquid in automatically. Gohan opened his eyes and noticed he was all alone. The boy was thankful for that. He really didn't want to see any of the others at the moment. Gohan found a bundle of clothes neatly folded on the desk. He pulled on the black uniform and grabbed the armor. The Suta Team insignia was displayed vividly on the chest plate. A red circle was drawn around it, probably with a pen, to send Gohan a message: You're part of the team now.

Gohan pulled on the armor and turned to the white boots. He left the room and looked up his own little window sill. The boy leaned against the wall behind him with his head and sighed heavily. This was becoming too much for him.

Five warriors were sitting at a large table. They were all ready to eat and didn't waste any time to do this. The youngest warrior noticed an empty seat and he looked around. "Where is the rookie?" He asked curiously.

"I think he's angry at you." Comora answered as he leaned on the table with his elbows. The man eyed the other warriors.

Tobney looked at the other warriors. Kaon rolled his eyes. "He gets angered very easily then." He answered with a shrug.

"We were kind of hard on him." Tobney muttered as he looked at his plate.

"He should be able to take it." Kaon answered as he pushed a piece of meat around on his plate.

"You can go apologize." Comora suggested innocently.

"Apologize for a punishment?" Itoro asked with a frown.

"Apologize for a punishment that went wrong. You went a little too far." Comora corrected as he sent a strict glance to his comrades. They all exchanged glances and, after a sigh, Tobney got up.

"Fine. I'll go." He said before he turned away from them and walked out the room. The other fighters looked at each other and, one by one, followed Tobney's lead.

Gohan was sitting on the windowsill once more. He was staring at the stars and planets that raced by their ship on high speed. The half-saiyan glanced sideways when he noticed the familiar power levels. He wondered why they were all coming to the bedroom. It wasn't time to go to bed yet.

Gohan frowned as he watched them walk in the room. The group of warriors exchanged glances and Tobney stepped closer to Gohan. "Hey. We're sorry okay. We shouldn't have done what we did." Tobney said. "We went a little too far."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "A little?" Gohan repeated.

"Okay. A lot. We won't do it again, okay?" Tobney answered. Gohan shrugged as he looked back at the window. Tobney extended his arm. "Let's get something to eat." He suggested.

Gohan eyed Tobney for a few seconds before he accepted Tobney's extended hand and jumped off the window sill. The following dinner went without any trouble. Gohan was silent as he ate his own food and kept a watchful eye on the others. They didn't really seem to be interested in him though.

Gohan was about to leave the table when Tobney placed a hand on his wrist. "Stay." Tobney said as Gohan looked back at him.

"What is wrong?" Gohan asked curiously.

Comora placed a small package on the table. "Hereby we invite you to be an official member of our team." Comora said as he pushed the package to the other side of the metal table. Gohan grabbed the package and eyed it. "What happened today was unfortunate but it did show us that you're a valid addition to our team."

"How did you find that out?" Gohan asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"You went through everything without crying or screaming." Kaon answered with a shrug. "That's enough evidence that you're a tough guy when you want to be."

Gohan looked at the package. "So what is this?"

"It's a present all the new members get." Comora answered. "Open it."

Gohan looked up at him. The half-saiyan grabbed the package and slowly opened it. The boy raised both his eyebrows when a small circular object appeared on the table. The white object had a dark blue circle in the middle. A small light blue button was visible in front of the darker circle. Gohan pressed on it and a blue light appeared from the dark blue circle. A figure slowly appeared in the light.

Gohan widened his eyes when he noticed it. A very small woman was standing inside the circle. She was wearing a yellow dress and a purple sash around it. Her black shoes almost disappeared in the grass on the ground. Her black hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders. The woman smiled at her son. "Mom." Gohan whispered as he reached out and touched the hologram. "How did you know that she looks like this?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"We looked into your dreams. I did." Tobney answered with a shrug. "I can do that."

"That's good to know." Gohan muttered as he looked up at his comrade. "Thank you." He said as he eyed his small mother. Chi-chi smiled and waved at him. "Can she speak?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"No." Comora answered. "She can only show emotions. She can adjust to what you're doing. If you are training she will be exercising too. If you leave her alone for a while she will go to sleep." Comora explained.

"Right." Gohan answered as he looked down at his small mother. Chi-chi was studying her son with interest. She grinned and showed a piece sign when he met her eyes. Gohan couldn't help but smile.

A while later Gohan entered the control room. The boy noticed Tobney was leaning on the window sill with his elbows. Gohan found out Tobney had a holographic person too. A small girl was sitting in his simulator. She looked up and her bright blue eyes studied the half-saiyan with interest. Her light pink dress accentuated her beautiful light blue skin.

Gohan leaned on the windowsill with his arms and eyed the small girl. "So this is your hide-out?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

Tobney glanced sideways and sent him a confused glance. "What are you talking about?"

"This is the place you go to when you want to be alone." Gohan clarified as he reached down his uniform and grabbed his Chi-chi simulator.

Tobney shrugged as he watched Gohan place his simulator next to Tobney's and switched it on. Chi-chi smiled at Gohan and got up. She looked around and noticed, after waving at Tobney, that she wasn't the only hologram in the room. The small girl and Chi-chi looked at each other and both reached out. They tried to cross the distance between them but noticed an invisible barrier was holding them back. They gave up and waved at each other.

"Who is that?" Gohan asked as he looked up at his comrade.

"My little sister." Tobney answered without looking at the hologram Gohan was referring too.

"Do you have a good relationship?" Gohan asked as he eyed the hologram.

"We did." Tobney answered as his eyes studied the darkness. "She was my best friend."

"Today. While everything was happening." Gohan muttered as he looked down at Chi-chi. "I heard the others make strange comments. They said that you might remember some things. That you knew how it felt." Gohan looked up and noticed Tobney had closed his eyes. "What happened?" He asked.

Tobney opened his eyes. "Do you know why Vegeta and Comora both agree that I'm the best person to look after you?" Tobney asked without looking at him. Gohan shook his head. "It's because I'm more like you than you think." Tobney continued. "When I was younger I was bullied a lot. My parents decided I needed to learn martial arts so I could defend myself. The moment I started taking lessons I noticed I liked it a lot and I was quite good at it too."

"One day flyers were handed out in my town. A martial arts tournament was held to find the strongest warrior on the planet. I had been training for years and I entered just to find out how I would do."

"How did you do?" Gohan asked impatiently when Tobney didn't continue the story. He watched as Chi-chi pulled out a picture album and showed the pictures to Tobney's little sister. They were having a silent conversation Gohan and Tobney weren't allowed to hear.

Tobney sighed. "I won." He answered. Gohan raised both his eyebrows. "I won and they shipped me off to Vegeta's ship. They told me the leader wanted to talk to me in person to give the reward. When I got there Vegeta offered me a position in his army. I refused and told him I wanted to go back to my planet. Vegeta told me that was fine but he told me to look out the window first. He said the view of my planet was too beautiful to miss."

Tobney scoffed. "I looked out the window just to in time to watch my planet explode." He said bitterly. Gohan gasped.

"He destroyed your planet?" Gohan asked in a whisper.

Tobney nodded once. "He told me to reconsider his offer and gave me three days to think about it. After that he placed me with a first class team so they could knock me into the right shape. When they couldn't handle me Vegeta decided that Comora would know what to do with me. I joined the elite team and they not too gently turned me into the warrior I am now."

Gohan looked up at him as Tobney continued: "Vegeta is a collector. He collects soldiers from every race. There are two other warriors from my planet in his army. You are one of his saiyan warriors." Tobney smirked. "He got lucky with you. He has a human and a saiyan in one package."

Gohan looked at his mother. Chi-chi was trying to comfort a sobbing little sister. Gohan recalled Comora's instructions that the small holograms could sense the feelings of their owners and would always display those emotions in the superlative form. Gohan looked up at Tobney again. "Vegeta is a jerk."

Tobney chuckled. "Everybody knows that. Nobody is stupid enough to say it out loud though." He answered amusedly. The twenty-year old turned to Gohan fully. "I know how you feel right now. Trust me. But it's just best to play by their rules. You will give in eventually and doing it now will save you a lot of misery." Tobney sighed out the last few words.

Gohan watched as Tobney shut down the simulator and the little girl disappeared. Tobney grabbed the machine and, after giving Gohan a last smile, turned away from him and left the room. Gohan looked down at his own simulator where Chi-chi was almost pulling out her hair in confusion.

"Everyone gather in the control room." Comora's voice called. Gohan pulled a face and shut off the hologram.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"We're right on course." Comora said as he looked up at the large screen. Vegeta was leaning back in his seat as he eyed the occupants of the room. The soldiers were spread over the room. Gohan actually found a window sill he could crawl into and he was sitting there now.

Vegeta nodded approvingly. "Have you showed them the technique yet? It can come in very handy." Vegeta continued. Comora shook his head.

"Not yet. I'm going to start on it soon." Comora answered with a nod.

Vegeta's eyes moved to Gohan. "How is it going with the boy?" He asked as he looked back at Comora. Gohan looked back at them when he heard this reference to him. He'd been successfully ignoring the conversation until now. "Are you enjoying the trip so far?" Vegeta asked Gohan.

"How could you do this to me?" Gohan answered as he eyed Vegeta. Tobney placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"It's not all been going as smooth as I expected but we're working on it." Comora continued when Vegeta gave him a questioning glance. Gohan leaned back as Vegeta's eyes moved to him again.

"What happened?" Vegeta asked before Gohan looked away.

"He tried to leave the ship." Comora answered as he crossed his arms.

"You what?" Vegeta barked at Gohan. "Do you want me to destroy your planet right now? I can go there and let you watch everything." Vegeta threatened.

"I didn't want to leave your army!" Gohan yelled back. "I wanted to go back to your ship! I wanted to get out of this mission!"

"The first thing I would have done is send you right back." Vegeta answered. "It would have only cost you time."

"Told you." Tobney mentioned to Gohan.

The half-saiyan glared at Tobney for a moment before he looked back at Vegeta. "You can't blame me for thinking you wouldn't be a jerk." He snarled back.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and looked at Comora. The man nodded and looked at Tobney. The twenty year old gave him a confused glance but then gasped and hit Gohan over the head. "Hey!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Part of the job." Tobney answered with a shrug. "Don't call lord Vegeta a jerk." He added strictly. Gohan scoffed as he rubbed over his head.

"Good. That's about it." Vegeta said as he looked back at Comora. The man nodded and turned to his soldiers.

"You are dismissed." He told them. They all got the message and left the room. Vegeta nodded to the window sill where Gohan was still sitting and staring out the window. Comora cleared his throat and Tobney looked back at him. Comora inclined his head to Gohan.

Tobney rolled his eyes and walked back to the half-saiyan. "Come on. I want to play a game." Tobney said cheerfully.

"I'll just stay here. I want to rest before we have another training session." Gohan answered.

Tobney grabbed Gohan's arm and pulled him off the window sill. "Come on. Let's go. I want to play." He pushed.

"Why don't you find someone else?" Gohan asked annoyed as he stumbled off the windowsill. Tobney appeared behind him and started pushing him to the door.

"No. You're the only one who can still be persuaded into playing it. Come on." Tobney continued cheerfully.

"Okay. Okay. I'm coming. Stop pushing me." Gohan answered agitatedly. He pushed Tobney's hands away and left the room. Tobney showed the piece sign to Comora by extending two fingers and followed Gohan out the room.

Vegeta looked back at Comora. "How big is the gap?" He asked.

"Not as big as I initially expected." Comora answered. "Our first training session de-motivated him greatly."

"That's good. It will humble him a bit." Vegeta answered with a shrug. "How long will the trip take?"

"We will land in two weeks."

"You know what to do when you're there." Vegeta continued.

Comora nodded. "Don't worry, lord Vegeta. When he gets back Gohan will be the perfect little soldier." Comora said with a determined nod.

"Good. I expect nothing less from your team." Vegeta answered as a smug expression appeared on his face.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it ^.^. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Gohan's first mission

**Thanks for the reviews!  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz or any of the characters.<strong>

**Chapter 7. Gohan's first mission.**

"And that is how you land the ship." Tobney stepped back and bowed. Gohan rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the control panel.

"You make it seem like it's very easy." Gohan commented as he eyed the panel with interest. "I don't think I'll ever understand this."

"It's not that hard." Tobney pressed on a few buttons and looked at the half-saiyan. "Do you want to try it?" He asked. Gohan hesitated as his eyes moved to the control panel and the wheel. "It's just a simulation." Tobney sneered. "You'll destroy a fake ship."

"That's a lot of confidence in my abilities." Gohan scoffed as his fingers curled around the triangle shaped wheel.

"You're the one who is biting his lip." Tobney countered as he leaned on the panel with one hand. "You just have to know the basics. When we are all unconscious or too busy and the auto pilot is broken, that's when you'll have to land the ship. It hasn't happened yet." Tobney's bright blue eyes moved over the half-saiyan. Gohan was still getting used to the entirely blue eyes with white dots as pupils. The half-saiyan looked down at the wheel again.

Tobney brushed through his short dark blue hair and grinned at the half-saiyan. "Let's do this."

Gohan opened his mouth to answer but Tobney already pressed on the blue button. Gohan chewed on his lip and narrowed his eyes in concentration as the lights in the room slowly dimmed. The screen in front of them showed the outline of a planet. The gray surface of the planet indicated a mist that was hanging around it. Gohan swallowed heavily as the ground started to shake. Tobney sat down in one of the three chairs and watched as Gohan's fingers ran over the control panel. Gohan hesitated and pressed on another button. Tobney rolled his eyes and looked up at the screen. "Are you really planning on landing with this speed?" He asked.

Gohan shook his head and adjusted the speed level. The boy looked up at the screen and watched the planet come closer and closer. Gohan turned the wheel slightly. "Be careful with that. The ship responds very quickly." Tobney warned. Gohan nodded and typed in a few things. "Are you sure about that?" Tobney's sneering voice asked.

Gohan let out a breath and checked his information. The boy noticed the angle of the ship wasn't entirely right and he adjusted it. Tobney tilted his head. "You're still going too fast." He commented. Gohan frowned and slowed down the ship. "The landing gear is under the ship, not in the front." Gohan looked up and noticed the ship was heading straight for the ground. "Try to turn the ship." Tobney suggested when Gohan gave him an exasperated expression.

Gohan looked back at the panel and gave a pull on the wheel. Tobney looked up at the screen. "Three." He counted. Gohan pulled the wheel back as hard as he could. "Two." Gohan noticed the picture on the screen was moving which indicated the ship was rotating. "One." The ship was just standing straight when the screen disappeared in a fiery light. The ship had exploded.

"What?" Gohan asked out loud. He didn't understand. He thought he had rotated the ship just enough to land. Tobney got up and tapped against the number that indicated the speed of the ship. Gohan closed his eyes.

"Adjusting the speed is the hardest part of this. You can easily go too fast or too slow. You need to find the right speed or you need to find out how to adjust it better." Tobney explained.

Gohan fell down on the seat and sighed. The boy pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tiredly. Tobney fell down next to him and grinned. "Tough huh?" He asked cheerfully.

"Why are you doing this?" Gohan asked as he looked up at Tobney.

"So you can learn how to control a ship?" Tobney answered confusedly.

"No. Why are you here? Why are you teaching me everything? Why are you taking me under your wing?" Gohan asked as he eyed his comrade.

Tobney shrugged. "I am supposed to keep an eye on you. We were supposed to share the burden of teaching you everything you need to know but I volunteered to teach you everything by myself. I have to stay with you at all times and standing around while someone is teaching you things I already know is not very productive for me. I might as well teach you myself." Tobney answered as he looked up at the screen.

Gohan leaned back again and sighed. "I don't want to do this." He muttered as he stared at the fire on the screen. Tobney placed a hand on his arm.

"I know." Tobney answered before he pulled back. A silence fell in the room. Gohan closed his eyes as the cold feeling in his stomach turned up the moment he thought about the things he was supposed to do when they reached the planet.

Tobney glanced sideways and noticed the troubled expression on Gohan's face. "Do you want to try again?" He asked trying to distract the half-saiyan.

Gohan nodded and jumped up. He walked back to the control panel. The half-saiyan tried again and bit his lip in concentration. Tobney watched as Gohan lead a second simulation right into the ground. The boy smirked when he noticed Gohan's disappointed expression. "Ah, cheer up." He said as he petted on Gohan's shoulder. "You should have seen my first few tries. My ship exploded in the ozone layer of a planet because I accidentally let the shield down." Tobney nodded as Gohan looked up at him. "It was your second try."

"That doesn't mean that I have to suck at it." Gohan answered with a frown.

"It doesn't mean you have to do it right either." Tobney countered. "We'll stop for today. I need to get some of my work done and you didn't do your studying today."

"No..." Gohan said as he placed his hands on the wheel. "I want to practice some more. I don't want to study. That Saiyan language is not important. Why would I want to learn a language that is spoken on a planet that is destroyed?" Gohan asked annoyed.

"Well, it's Vegeta, right. He has his own rules." Tobney answered with a shrug. Gohan scoffed as his finger moved over the leaning of the chair. Tobney suddenly cursed. "What time is it?" He asked.

Gohan shrugged. "I don't know. It's probably around four. We have been here for a while." He answered with a shrug.

"Shit. Shit." Tobney cursed as he walked away. "I had a spar with Kaon at half past 3." He complained as he left the room. Gohan raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall.

"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four." Gohan whispered. "Three." Comora walked in the room and waved at Gohan.

"Hey rookie. What do you say we have a spar? We can revise the techniques you learned." Comora suggested as his red eyes studied the half-saiyan.

Gohan shrugged. "Fine." He answered. Comora turned away from him and walked out the room. "They can never leave me alone longer than ten seconds." Gohan complained under his breath as he followed Comora.

Several hours later Gohan was sitting in a chair in the library. Once he accepted the idea that he was going to complete this mission Gohan started to explore the ship. He found rooms of which he never thought would be necessary in a ship filled with warriors. The library was one of these rooms. He was surprised to find that the other warriors actually spend quite a lot of time in the library, leaning against the comfortable pillows on the brown couches and reading books for hours. Gohan did not mind spending time in there either. They had books about different planets, histories and even novels or fictional stories all translated to the universal language.

Gohan found different simulator rooms. One of the simulators was the screen on which they could simulate a flight or landing a ship. The second simulator occupied an entire room. It was made for training. They could simulate a whole different area filled with strong warriors. Gohan had spent some time in there but he preferred fighting with real warriors. The third simulator was similar to the second one. It wasn't made for training purposes though. The third simulator could send the person inside to any planet in the universe. Gohan spend several hours just lying in the grass on planet Earth. The problem was that the simulator was a little more primitive than the second one. They could not communicate with the living beings on the planet they were visiting. They weren't really there. They were just an invisible shadow in the daily live on the planet. The second problem was that the simulator was apparently set in the different time. Gohan tried to visit his mother but their house hadn't even been build yet.

Gohan tried to search for Capsule Corp but that company hadn't been invented yet either. When he couldn't even find Master Roshi's house Gohan gave up and just found a large field where he could lay down. The cows were grazing everywhere around him and Gohan could forget about his mission for several minutes. That was until a cow decided to graze right on the spot where Gohan's face was placed and the boy opened his eyes to find a big mouth racing towards him. That's when he decided he spend enough time in the simulation room.

Gohan was now curled up in one of the comfortable chairs with a book about a long mythological war on a planet called Xytopra. The boy let his head fall back to find out who was walking in the room. He watched as Itoro walked to Kaon and tapped on his shoulder. Itoro whispered something in Kaon's ear and Kaon nodded. The man got up and walked out the room while Itoro walked to one of the many closets. They were all standing in rows and every closet was filled with books on both sides. Gohan rolled his eyes as he looked back at his book. This routine was getting very annoying. Since he tried to escape a week ago they all kept an eye on him at all times. Tobney complained to Comora that he did not want a full-time babysit job so they were now taking turns in spending time with him just to make sure he wouldn't try another escape. When he voiced this idea to Tobney the other warrior told him he was being paranoid. That the ship was just very small and there were six warriors in there at all times which meant he was bound to run into the others several times every day.

Gohan sighed before he closed his book. The boy got up and headed for the door. Itoro was just flipping through a book and he looked up. "Rookie. Where are you going?" Itoro asked.

"I just want to be alone." Gohan answered shortly. Itoro closed the book and quickly placed it in the closet. His black eyes moved from Gohan to the book in the closet and he groaned as he followed the half-saiyan.

"I'll join you." Itoro said cheerfully as he appeared next to Gohan. The man scratched over his pink skin as he watched the teenager next to him.

"What part of 'I want to be alone' did you not understand?" Gohan asked annoyed.

"Nobody wants to be alone. It would be awfully lonely." Itoro answered with a shrug.

"Maybe I want to be lonely." Gohan snarled back. "Leave me alone."

Itoro huffed in annoyance and grabbed Gohan's arm. "We're going back to the library." He answered as he turned around and pulled the half-saiyan with him. "I'm really not in the mood for this." Itoro complained as he shoved the half-saiyan in the room. Gohan landed on his hands and knees but immediately jumped up. "You are going to stay here."

"Why?" Gohan snarled back. "Why do I have to stay here?"

"Because I'm watching you for now and I don't want to run around the ship just because you cannot stay in the same place longer than three minutes." Itoro snarled back. "Sit down and be quiet, brat."

Gohan frowned at the man but let his body fall into a chair when Itoro sent him a very harsh glare. The boy watched as Itoro grabbed his earlier chosen book and sat down with it. Gohan grabbed his own book and braced himself. He suddenly jumped up and threw the book at Itoro as hard as he could. The man was so immersed with the book he didn't notice the object speeding towards him. His head was knocked sideways when the book hit and he placed a hand on his head. "Damn it, you runt." He snarled as he glared at the boy. He blinked when he noticed Gohan was gone.

Gohan was running as fast as he could as his senses tried to find that familiar power level. He looked back to find Itoro right on his heels. Gohan stopped in front of a door and pressed on the button to open it. Comora looked up when he noticed Gohan was racing inside. The boy immediately whirled around and extended his hands. "Stop!" He yelled when Itoro raced in the room. Comora raised an eyebrow. "Comora is here." Gohan said as he motioned to the man behind him.

"So?" Itoro asked as he stepped closer and clenched and unclenched his fists.

"So, you can't do anything to me." Gohan answered as he stepped back.

"Don't let me stop you." Comora said as he looked back down at his work. Gohan looked over his shoulder and frowned at him. This was one of the many mistakes he seemed to be making lately. Itoro appeared next to him and hit Gohan on the head with a book. The half-saiyan yelped and rubbed over his head.

"As you earthlings say: An eye for an eye." Itoro answered smugly. Gohan scoffed but forgot about it for the moment as his eyes landed on Comora once more.

"Comora, get those guys off my back." Gohan snarled at him.

"What?" Comora asked as he looked up.

"I want them to stop following me. I don't want to be watched every second of the day." Gohan answered annoyed.

"Do you want to do something that's not allowed?" Comora asked crossed his arms over each other and leaned back in his seat.

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I want to be alone." Gohan answered. "I want to have some time to think and I can't do that if you guys keep stalking me."

"You brought this on yourself." Comora said patiently. "I gave you a vote of confidence when I released you from the ki-bonds and you broke it."

"I won't do that again." Gohan answered.

"Hopefully. I don't think your back can take any more of our punishments." Itoro sneered amusedly.

Gohan chose to ignore this and gave Comora a pleading look. Comora eyed Gohan for a few seconds as a silence settled in the room. Itoro sent a questioning glance in Comora's direction. The latter sighed and leaned on his desk with his elbows. "Fine. Prove to us that we can trust you." Comora answered. "If you pull another stunt like you did seven days ago you'll be in even more trouble than you were then." Comora threatened.

Gohan nodded as answer. Itoro tilted his head. "Does that mean I am off duty?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah." Comora answered. "Tell the others about the new arrangement if you can." He ordered. Itoro nodded and walked out the room. Gohan turned around and followed him. "Don't make me regret this." Comora called from behind him. Gohan didn't answer as he left the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"One more time." Comora ordered as Gohan floated closer.

The half-saiyan sighed tiredly. "How many times do I have to do this?" Gohan asked annoyed as he wiped some sweat off his forehead. The other warriors were having a very intense looking spar. Gohan longed to join them just to find out how long he would last but Comora was still drilling him on the new techniques he had to learn.

"Until you've done it right." Comora answered as he gave Gohan a stern glance. The teenager frowned back at him and floated back a bit. Comora nodded when Gohan sent him a questioning glance. Gohan powered up and his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. The half-saiyan made a series of movements with his hands and held them apart from each other in mid-air. A purple ki-blast appeared in between his hands. The boy bit his lip and slowly rotated his spread hands. The blast broke into pieces and small blasts surrounded Gohan's frame. The boy moved his hands up and the blasts moved up in the air. After this Gohan pointed to the target he was supposed to destroy and all the blasts suddenly shot at the target and disintegrated it. This all was done within two seconds.

The other warriors had ceased their matches and were watching the half-saiyan. Itoro glanced at Kaon. "When did you teach him this?" he asked.

"Today." Kaon answered with a thoughtfully frown.

"He catches up fast." Itoro answered as he watched Comora talk to Gohan.

"Too fast." Kaon muttered.

Comora turned away from Gohan. "Alright. Now it's time for the new technique we've been practicing on. The one I created especially for this planet. We still need to work on it." Comora announced as he floated closer to the other warriors. Gohan sighed as he floated to the ground. He wasn't allowed to attend this training yet. "Rookie. Where do you think you're going?" Comora's voice yelled.

Gohan looked up. "I cannot join this training session, remember?"

"Get up here. I'm not going to explain it twice." Comora answered shortly. Gohan grinned as he quickly flew up and appeared next to Tobney. The twenty year old tousled Gohan's hair and they both focused on Comora.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Good morning, sunshine!" Tobney gave Gohan a shake to wake him up. Gohan whimpered and turned away from the other warrior. The boy pulled his sheets over his head but Tobney was already pulling on the sheets. "Come on. Wake up." Tobney said cheerfully.

"I want to sleep." Gohan mumbled. Tobney tilted his head and grabbed the small mattress on which Gohan was lying. The boy tilted his mattress on to the side to force Gohan to slide off the mattress. Gohan held onto the mattress and closed his eyes tightly. Tobney frowned.

"Fine." Tobney said as he tossed the mattress to the other side of the room. Gohan landed right on top of it and smirked at Tobney. The boy lay down and closed his eyes once more. Tobney crossed his arms thoughtfully as he stepped closer. The twenty year old knelt down next to the mattress where Gohan was still sleeping. "So you want to play rough."

"No. I just want to sleep. Let me sleep." Gohan complained.

"Okay. You can sleep." Tobney answered innocently. Gohan opened one eye and eyed him suspiciously. "Let's see if you can sleep through this." Tobney suddenly attacked him and started tickling the half-saiyan. Gohan shrieked and rolled off his mattress. "Two seconds." Tobney sneered. "I gave you more credit than that."

Gohan huffed and got up. "I am not in the mood for this." He complained.

"Okay." Tobney answered as he watched Gohan walk to the showers. Before Gohan knew it Tobney landed on top of him and pushed him to the ground. There Tobney attacked him with the tickle torture again.

"Tobney! Stop it!" Gohan yelled as he tried to crawl away. Tobney grabbed one of Gohan's legs and pulled him back. Gohan rolled over and pushed Tobney back. After this he attacked Tobney and they rolled over the ground while trying to tickle each other and defend their own body at the same time. Itoro almost tripped over them and cursed out loud but the two ignored him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Comora yelled as he glared at the two younger warriors. They both ceased their activities and looked up. "What are you? Children?" Comora snarled at them. Gohan opened his mouth to answer but Comora cut him off: "Do not answer that. Gohan, get ready for breakfast. You can expect a hell of a training if you don't hurry up." Comora snarled.

Gohan pulled a face and got up. He walked to the bathroom as Tobney got up too. Comora glared at the twenty-year old. "I thought you were going to have an influence on Gohan. He is not supposed to have an influence on you." Comora said strictly.

"We were fooling around." Tobney answered annoyed.

"You're soldiers and you're on a mission. You don't fool around." Comora answered before he turned around and walked out the room. Tobney rolled his eyes and followed Comora.

Later that day Gohan was sitting in a chair in front of a large screen in the communication room. Comora was standing next to him and they were both looking up at the screen. Vegeta was staring back at them from his own ship. Gohan did not know why they told him to be there for the meeting. Comora and Vegeta had been talking to each other and completely ignored him for the past twenty minutes. The boy did not mind though. He did not want to talk to Vegeta anyway. "I hear you're making progress." Vegeta stated. Gohan looked up when he noticed Vegeta was actually adressing him and he shrugged. "Okay. That attitude is now over." Vegeta snarled at him. Gohan looked up. "You were sent on a mission and you are going to complete it. Now stop whining and sulking and act like a man."

Gohan gave Vegeta an indifferent expression. Vegeta and Comora exchanged glances. Comora decided to jump in. "He has learned everything he needed to learn. He caught up quite fast."

"When are you landing?" Comora opened his mouth to answer but Vegeta caught him off. "Did you teach him to see that?" Comora nodded. "Boy. When is the ship landing?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan muttered something under his breath and got up. He pressed on a few buttons and his face fell. "Two days." He whispered as his eyes moved over the screen.

"What was that?" Vegeta asked annoyed.

Gohan shook his head and looked up at Vegeta. "We land in two days." He answered loudly.

"Are you ready for it?" Vegeta asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"If you want me to act like a man you shouldn't ask me questions that require a childish answer." Gohan answered annoyed. "Of course I'm not ready for it."

"Then get ready. I expect to hear good results." Vegeta answered. "I'm signing off. Good luck." Comora and Gohan both saluted and the screen turned black a second later. Gohan stuck out his tongue at the screen.

"Real mature." Comora commented with a smirk.

"Hey. He told me to act like a man. He didn't say when or how long." Gohan answered as he turned away from Comora. The man watched him walk away and silently wondered how long Gohan was planning on keeping this up.

Gohan sat down on the couch in the library and sighed heavily. Tobney was just studying one of the books and he raised an eyebrow when he noticed Gohan's behavior. "What's wrong, rookie?" He asked curiously.

"We land in two days." Gohan answered sadly. "You said we still had two weeks to go." He accused as he glared at his comrade.

Tobney shrugged. "I wanted you to think that. You felt better, didn't you?" Tobney answered.

"Yes. I did but now I feel terrible." Gohan muttered as he got up and walked to the window. Tobney watched him go and placed his book on the table. Tobney tilted his head as Gohan placed a hand on the window. "Do you think we can breathe in space? Everyone says we can't but I never really tried it out." Gohan whispered.

"It would be a terrible way to try to escape." Tobney answered. "Besides, Comora can breathe in space. He'll jump out and pull you back in." Tobney warned. The boy watched as Gohan clenched the fist that was resting against the window. "I wouldn't recommend that." Tobney warned as he got ready to jump up if needed.

Gohan chuckled. "No. You guys keep watching me. I'm always busy with training or chores. The space pods have a password I don't know. The same goes for the control room which has a password so I cannot enter without one of you and now I can't even jump out the window because there will always be something or someone to hold me back." Gohan complained. The boy scoffed as his nails scratched the glass. "I've spend my entire life fighting murderers only to be forced to become one."

Tobney sighed. "It won't be so bad, you know. The first mission is not that terrible. You'll get used to it faster than you think." Tobney answered reassuringly. "You can take my word for it."

"Do you like it?" Gohan asked without looking back. "Do you like to feel their necks crack? The smell of the blood in the air." Gohan turned around. "I've watched people die since I was five years old. I will never forget the smell of Krillin's burned meat when Freeza literally let him explode. Will I become like that?"

"If you let it get to you." Tobney answered."Then you'll become just like Vegeta. The only thing you can do is be strong. It's all up to you." Tobney got up. "I think you can do it. You'll just have to find the needed confidence in yourself."

Gohan looked up at Tobney. "You think I can do it?"

"You surprised us before. Why not now?" Tobney answered with a shrug. Gohan turned back to the window and his finger traced over an invisible line on the glass.

Two days later Gohan was pushing the food on his plate around. He sighed as he pushed a purple carrot like vegetable over. The boy looked up when a hand appeared in his vision and pulled the plate away. "Hey!" Gohan exclaimed.

"You're not eating anyway. It's a shame to let it go to waste." Kaon answered as he dug into Gohan's food. The half-saiyan scoffed and pulled his plate back.

"It's my food. I can do whatever I want with it." Gohan snarled back.

"As long as you finish it." Comora answered as he looked up. "You need your strength today." He warned.

Gohan frowned and started eating. They all got ready for the mission. Gohan was just pulling on his boots when the female voice of the ship announced the ship would be landing in ten minutes. Gohan released his boot and placed a hand on his forehead.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Gohan looked up. Tobney smiled at him as he squeezed his shoulder. "Turn it off." He said. Gohan nodded and got up from his bed. The boy caught sight of his reflection in the mirror as he followed Tobney and stopped froze. A young boy dressed in a blue uniform. The only object protecting his torso was an armor with beige shoulder bands and a beige stomach guard. The Suta Team insignia was displayed on his chest. Gohan's eyes moved to the face of the boy in the mirror. The bright brown eyes stared back at him.

"Come on, Rookie. Hurry up!" Tobney yelled from the control room.

"I'll be right there!" Gohan answered. The boy looked back at his reflection and remembered how proud he used to be of his soldier-like look when he was on planet Namek. Gohan shook his head and ran out the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Nice planet." Comora observed as he looked around. "The gravity is almost none-existent. The atmosphere is endurable. We can finish this planet in no-time and we might even have some extra time to visit planet Quia." Comora announced. The others cheered which made Gohan wondered what was so special about that planet. The mentioning of that planet received the same enthusiastic applaud every time. He made a mental note to ask Tobney about it.

"The warriors on this planet are at level 8 of our 1 to 10 scale. It's best if we stay together and work as a group. I heard the inhabitants of this planet can do something with their power level. They can change it." Comora continued. Gohan raised an eyebrow at this message but did not say anything.

"So, we're not going to split up?" Kaon asked curiously.

Gohan looked down as a cold feeling settled in his stomach. This was it. They were going to purge this planet and Gohan was supposed to participate. His heartbeat sped up as he clenched his fists.

"No," Comora answered, oblivious to Gohan's emotions, "we will work together. I don't want to risk a loss."

"You think they're really that strong?" Tobney asked as he looked around. "There's nobody here."

"That doesn't mean a thing." Comora answered as his eyes settled on Gohan. The man frowned when he noticed Gohan's closed eyes and tightly clenched fists. He opened his mouth to say something but Gohan suddenly opened his eyes and shot away. They all jumped and watched Gohan leave.

The half-saiyan raced away. He just wanted to get away. He did not know where he was going or why but he knew one thing: He had to leave now. Gohan felt the presence before his eyes registered the figure in the air. Kaon appeared in front of Gohan. "You're going the wrong way, rookie." He said as he pointed to the place where their comrades were still waiting.

Gohan frowned and shot in a different direction. Seconds later Tobney appeared in front of Gohan and cut him off. "Gohan. Just forget about it." Tobney said tiredly.

Gohan shook his head. "I'm not going to do this." Gohan yelled back at the older boy.

"You don't have a choice." Tobney answered sadly.

"I'm not doing it!" Gohan muttered as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Tobney frowned thoughtfully as the scouter on his face beeped frantically. The warrior widened his eyes as he watched the number shoot up. "Don't make me!"

"What the hell." Tobney whispered.

"I WON'T DO IT!" Gohan screamed as his energy exploded. A tornado of energy surrounded the two warriors and Tobney had to cross his arms in front of him to protect himself. He blinked and tried to peak through the gap between his arms wondering what Gohan was doing but nothing could have warned him for the menace that launched at him.

Gohan appeared right in front of him and pushed his fist deep into Tobney's stomach. The warrior gave a strangled gasp and covered his stomach with his arms. Gohan whirled around in the air and kicked against Tobney's chin. The warrior was launched away before he knew what happened.

"What is going on?" Kaon muttered as he watched Tobney fall. "What happened?" Gohan appeared in front of him and Kaon stepped back in the air. The man opened his mouth to bark something at Gohan but the only thing he met was a fist. It landed against his cheek and he was pushed back. Gohan's boot was buried deep in Kaon's stomach and he gasped in pain. The man slowly sank to the ground where he landed on his hands and knees, still panting heavily. Itoro landed near him a second later.

Gohan was now beating into Suno. The man gasped several times as Gohan's fists hit him in the stomach. The boy kicked up and Suno's chin was forced up so fast his neck almost broke at impact. Gohan grabbed Suno's arm and whirled the man around only to let him fall to the ground.

Comora had been watching in amazement but had gotten over the shock by now. The man watched all his men fall and gathered that he was next. Gohan appeared near him and Comora managed to block the first hit and was amazed at the strength behind him. Half expecting Gohan to try another attack, Comora's arm which was still blocking Gohan's attack relaxed slightly. He didn't expect Gohan to push through and his arm gave in. He was hit in the cheek and moved back. He felt Gohan's knuckles hitting his face several times before Gohan made a loop in the air and kicked the man to the ground.

The warriors were all still lying on the ground and looked up dazedly. Gohan was panting heavily by now as his heartbeat settled down. The boy blinked and looked at the damage he inflicted.

"O no." He whispered as he watched the soldiers of the Suta team get up. They didn't look happy about their recent defeat. Not happy at all.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Cliffhanger,, I think..**

**I'm still looking for a beta! I don't know if my English is bad or not… It's hard for me to judge.. But I can only learn from a beta so I would really appreciate it!**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8: It's a Tough Job

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz or any of the characters.  
>Thanks for the reviews!<strong>

**Chapter 8. It's a tough job.**

Gohan swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. He did not want this to happen. He watched as the soldiers slowly got up and looked up at him. "Crap." He muttered before he shot away. The boy raced away from the warriors but noticed they were following him within seconds. "Figures." He muttered as he sped up.

Tobney appeared next to him. "Going somewhere?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow at the half-saiyan. Gohan turned to fly in a different direction but Kaon was already flying on his other side.

"Stop. We have you surrounded." Kaon ordered. Gohan slowed down. He knew they were right. He could continue to try to escape but they would find him eventually. Gohan stopped flying and avoided their eyes as Comora caught up with them.

"What was that?" Comora asked with a frown.

Gohan looked up at him. "Nothing." He answered. "And don't try to push me or it might happen again." He warned.

"Don't try to be smart." Comora answered annoyed. His dark red eyes moved over Gohan's angered face. "Vegeta told me about this. You have anger attacks. They can come up suddenly but they don't last long. You don't have any control over it and they leave you exhausted, which is why you were flying so slow."

Gohan chewed on his lip. He didn't like it when people knew more about him than he expected. Comora frowned at him. "I wondered what it would be like and now I've seen it." Comora said. "Next time you should try to suppress it because I won't allow it a second time." Comora warned.

Gohan scoffed as he crossed his arms over each other. "Okay." Comora started. "It's time to divide the work load. As I said before, we're going to stay together. Kaon and Suna, you two go to the south but don't go too far. We have to be able to reach you immediately in case you get into trouble." Kaon and Suna nodded and flew away.

"Tobney and Itoro, you two go to the north. The same rules apply to you." Comora ordered. Tobney and Itoro nodded. "Gohan. I want to make you an offer. You have one hour to kill one person. Just one. I will set a timer. Just one. We will start working and hopefully we'll be done before the hour is over." He noticed Gohan's frown and added: "If you don't kill one person I will make you kill five. Just one. Got it?" Gohan sighed and nodded. "Good. Let's get to work."

"Just one." Gohan whispered as Comora flew down.

"For now. He won't leave it at that." Tobney answered. Gohan looked up and the warrior shrugged. "Shut it off." He said before he turned his back on Gohan and followed Itoro. Gohan sighed as he looked down and watched Comora fight the warriors there. He heard explosions coming from all directions. The boy didn't want to feel the ground shake so he decided to stay in the air. The boy watched the fights going on as he wondered if Comora would really notice it if he did not kill one person within the hour.

Gohan was watching as Comora fought warriors. The battles on his right and left were shaking the planet. Gohan looked down and noticed Comora was looking at him. The man tapped on the imaginary watch on his wrist before he continued his own fight. Gohan frowned. Apparently, Comora was keeping an eye on him.

Gohan hesitated as he watched the fights going on. He hated this. Oh, how he hated this. The boy felt his arms shaking but he clenched his fists to stop them from trembling. Comora grabbed the wrist of one of the fighters and tossed him in Gohan's direction. "Rookie. Think fast!" He yelled.

Gohan's head shot in Comora's direction just in time to move out of the way. The alien fighter frowned at Gohan and attacked him. Gohan blocked the first few punches and swallowed heavily. This was it. Gohan dived under a punch and pushed his knee in the man's stomach. This had to be it.

Gohan moved his arm up to block another punch. The next punch hit Gohan in the cheek. The boy moved back and made a loop in the air to kick the man against the chin. The man was forced back as he groaned in pain. _"Now," _shot through Gohan's head. Gohan clenched his fists and shook his head. He could not do it.

Gohan waited as the man shook it off and returned to the battlefield. Gohan sank into a fighting stance and watched as the man floated closer. The half-saiyan bit his lip as he wondered how much time of his one hour had gone by.

The large warrior frowned at him. Gohan's eyes moved over the dark brown skin which was covered in a very thin layer of fur. Gohan only knew the man's skin was brown because of the bald spots in the fur. Gohan decided the man had gotten hurt on those places. The warrior attacked him with harsh punches. Gohan avoided them with precision. He knew exactly what to do. He was trained for it. The boy dived under a punch and swallowed heavily as a strategy formed in his mind. He would only get one chance. Gohan kneed the man in the stomach harshly and floated back while the man was trying to regain his breath. The boy bit his lip and put his hands together. He fired.

Twenty minutes later Comora was looking around in wonder. Where was that boy? The man frowned and was about to order the others to search for Gohan when he noticed a small shadow in the corner of his eyes.

Gohan was sitting on a large rock. His arms were pulled around his bent legs and he was staring at something in front of him. A man was lying on the ground. A large gaping hole was seen in his stomach and a large red river of blood covered the ground around him.

Comora landed next to him but Gohan did not even blink. "You did it." Comora said in a surprised tone. Gohan closed his eyes and hid his face in his legs. Comora crossed his arms. "Good. Now. We haven't finished the planet yet so your job is not over yet. In the next hour I want you to kill two aliens."

Gohan looked up. "What?"

"I didn't stutter." Comora answered shortly.

Gohan jumped up. "No. No way." Gohan answered. "I did what you told me to do. I'm done!"

Comora crossed his arms."I want two more bodies right here within the hour." Comora answered as if Gohan had not spoken. "Just place them here. You know what the consequences are if you fail."

Comora flew up and Gohan clenched his fists. "I won't do it!" He yelled. "Do you hear me? You said just one!" Gohan made an animalistic noise and was now breathing heavily. The boy watched as Comora flew away and engaged in another battle. Gohan looked down at the lifeless body of his first committed murder and sighed.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Rookie?" Tobney was walking through the hallway several hours later. "Rookie? Where are you?" He said in a sing-song voice. "Gohan?" Tobney looked in their bedroom and frowned when he noticed the half-saiyan in the windowsill. "I should have known. Why are you ignoring me?" Tobney asked annoyed.

Gohan did not even acknowledge him. The boy was leaning against the cold glass of the window with his forehead. He was rubbing his hands together unconsciously. "Hey Gohan." Tobney started. "What do you say we…" Tobney placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder and noticed the crack in the chest plate. "Are you still wearing the uniform you wore to the planet?"

"Why are you still wearing this?" Tobney asked. Gohan ignored him and continued to stare outside as his hands rubbed against each other. "Will you stop that?" Tobney made a wild grasp at Gohan's hands to stop the half-saiyan and noticed something on Gohan's hand.

The blood-red liquid on Gohan's hands was now dry and carved into Gohan's skin as if it had always been there. Tobney sighed. "Gohan." He muttered as he looked at Gohan's pale face.

Tobney closed his eyes and wondered whether to get Comora or not. He decided against it and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Come on." He said as he gently urged Gohan to follow him by pressing against his shoulder. Gohan let himself be lead to the bathroom. Tobney unclasped the bands of Gohan's armor and pulled it off. He peeled Gohan's armor off his body and walked to one of the three showers. Tobney turned on the shower and looked back at Gohan. The boy's body was stained with blood on several places and some newly acquired wounds had not healed properly.

Tobney moved behind Gohan and gave him an encouraging push to the shower. He watched absently as Gohan moved into the shower booth and closed the door behind him. Tobney leaned against the wall and reminisced about his own first mission. That terrible first day created a knot in his stomach. The young warrior usually chose not to think about the past. He decided to teach Gohan to do the same. The warrior pushed the thoughts away and sighed heavily once more. He waited until Gohan was done showering and was prepared to cheer the half-saiyan up. Gohan, however, was a changed boy when he emerged from the shower.

The half-saiyan sent Tobney a glare. "Are you still here?" He asked annoyed. Tobney raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to answer. "Bringing me to the shower was nice. I can handle it from here."

Gohan grabbed his boxers and pulled it on. The boy looked up at Tobney. "I'm fine." Gohan said with a smile.

Tobney watched as Gohan continued dressing. "Are you sure?" Tobney asked hesitantly.

Gohan's answer came when he was fully dressed again. "I'm sure." He said as he adjusted his blue uniform. The boy looked up at Tobney's white eyes with small blue pupils. "I just had to digest everything. I'll be fine." Gohan continued.

"You can't take all that in within two hours. Do you want to talk?" Tobney asked as he stepped closer.

"No thanks." Gohan answered shortly as he walked into the bedroom. Tobney frowned as he followed the half-saiyan.

"I know just the thing for you." Tobney said as he smirked and walked out the room. "Follow me, rookie." He yelled over his shoulder.

Gohan hesitated but decided to follow him and they ended up in the large common room. The other warriors were sitting at the table, lounging on the couches or chairs or standing near the windows. Gohan noticed they were all carrying a glass. Tobney returned to the half-saiyan and handed him a glass. "What's this?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"Drink. You'll love it." Tobney answered before he sipped from his own drink.

Gohan sniffed his glass warily. "Is there alcohol in this?" He asked when he noticed a certain odor coming from the glass.

"There's no better way to forget your life for a while." Tobney answered with a smirk.

"I'm eleven." Gohan answered as he eyed the drink with disdain.

"You experienced your first mission. You're a man now." Comora answered. He held up his drink. "You can act like one too."

Tobney slapped on Gohan's back before he walked in the room with his drink. Gohan sat down on the table and took a slow sip from his drink. He pulled a face as the bitter taste spread in his mouth earning chuckles from the other warriors. Gohan folded his legs over each other and placed his drink on the table. "Are we going back to Vegeta's ship now?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Nope." Comora answered. "First we're going to pay a visit to an old friend of lord Vegeta." Comora explained.

"Why?"

"We're going to ask him a few questions." Comora answered innocently. Gohan took a sip from his drink as he thought about this answer.

"Can't Vegeta contact that man himself? The technology in his ship is great." Gohan said thoughtfully.

"Oh no. This requires a personal visit." Comora answered.

"Why?" Gohan's curiosity was something that annoyed the others greatly. Most of them ignored the half-saiyan when he uttered a sentence that ended in a question mark. Apparently, a tipsy Comora was lenient.

"He might not want to answer our questions." Comora answered.

"So?" Gohan urged.

"Well," Comora started, "if that happens there will be consequences."

"Like what?"

Comora opened his mouth to answer but Tobney suddenly jumped up. "Rookie!" He said as if he was correcting a bad child. "Don't ask so many questions. We've told you that a dozen times!" Tobney rushed closer and pulled Gohan off the table. "Let's play a videogame. I bet I can beat you in Qoera this time."

"You can forget about that!" Gohan answered as he grabbed his drink and ran to the door. "Race you!" Tobney watched him go and smiled slightly.

"Very interesting way of protecting the boy." Comora sneered. "He will find out what is going to happen when we get there."

"I know but we just returned from our mission. Can't you wait a few hours before you explain the rest of his job description to him?" Tobney answered annoyed.

"You're awfully protective over him." Kaon answered as he tilted his head at the younger warrior. "Are you afraid he might end up like you?" He added.

Tobney did not answer this and turned away from them. They watched him walk out the room. Comora leaned back in his chair. "It's time we break them apart." He mentioned to the others. They nodded in agreement.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

A scream was heard in the large empty room. A man was hanging in the middle of the dark room. His hands were separately tied to ropes which were connected to the ceiling. Comora was standing in front of the man and Kaon was standing several feet behind him. His hand was extended; a new ki-blast was already forming.

"Are you ready to talk yet?" Comora asked as he raised an eyebrow at the man. He was glaring at Comora through his long brown hair. Gohan was sitting on the ground in a corner. He was staring at the interrogation with wide eyes. The others hadn't noticed his retreat since they were too immersed in the questioning. The man screamed as another blast made contact with his battered back. Gohan flinched and closed his eyes.

Kaon sent another blast, earning another scream from the man, but they did not get any result. Comora crossed his arms and frowned at the silent man. The warrior's eyes moved to his comrades and landed on Gohan. He suddenly remembered something and uncrossed his arms. "Rookie." He said. Gohan tensed and looked up. "Come here and take Kaon's place."

"What?" Tobney said as Gohan got up. "Comora, you can't mean that."

"I don't recall asking for you opinion." Comora answered shortly.

Gohan shook his head as he looked at the tortured man. "Rookie. Take Kaon's place and do as I say or I'll make you do much worse to much more victims." Comora said strictly. Gohan looked in the man's eyes and knew he was speaking the truth.

"No!" Tobney stepped closer and grabbed Gohan's shoulder. "You don't have to do this. It's his first mission, Comora!" Tobney yelled at his supervisor. Comora nodded to Kaon and Itoro. They immediately stepped forward and grabbed Tobney's shoulders. They pulled him back and held him tightly.

"We still know how to punish you, Tobney. Don't make us remind you." Comora threatened. "Orders from Vegeta. The boy is to participate in the interrogation."

"Vegeta." Gohan whispered. "How could you?"

"Comora, this isn't fair." Tobney said as he tried to move passed the extended arms of Kaon and Itoro.

Kaon and Itoro both sent him a strict glare which forced Tobney to step back. He placed a hand on his forehead and sighed heavily as Gohan stepped closer to the tied-up man. Comora eyed Gohan with interest. "Extend your arm and fire at my command." He ordered. Gohan did as he was told as his breathing sped up. The boy watched as Comora continued to interrogate the man, hoping Comora would not need his persuasive abilities. This hope crashed when Comora made the unmistakable 'action' sign. The others had drilled Gohan on numerous of signs that they could give him during battle. The sign that Comora was giving now, two extended fingers that created a snapping scissor, told Gohan that he had to proceed with whatever order Comora had giving earlier. Gohan took a deep breath as a ki-blast appeared in his extended hand. The others watched as Gohan hesitated. His shaking hand still aimed at the tortured man.

Comora raised an eyebrow at the half-saiyan. Gohan shook his head and powered down. "I can't do this." He said softly. "Don't make me do this."

Comora growled in annoyance. "Kaon." He said. The man did not need any more words than that. He stalked closer to Gohan and grabbed hold of his hair. He pulled Gohan's face back and glared at the child.

"Do what he says or you'll be sorry."

"I don't care what you do to me. I won't do this." Gohan answered.

"Let's test that out." Comora said as he walked to the table on which the equipment for their torture session was lying. Kaon forced Gohan on his knees as Comora tossed a wooden stick to Itoro. Tobney was shaking his head tiredly as he leaned against the wall. The half-saiyan got rid of his armor himself as if to tell them he was not going to fight them. Gohan closed his eyes and bowed his head as he waited for them to punish him.

Kaon looked up at Comora, waiting for his order. Comora sighed heavily and nodded. A harsh bang indicated the first hit on Gohan's back. The half-saiyan gasped in pain and had to lean on his hands to keep himself from falling over. The second hit made him growl loudly in pain. Gohan clenched his fists on the ground. "That's enough." Comora said as he looked up. Kaon nodded and stepped back. "Very stubborn. But we will get that out of you." Comora observed. "You don't have to participate in this but you will be punished when we get back on the ship. You can decide."

Gohan stepped back and walked to the wall as his armor dangled in his hand. The message was clear and Comora ordered Kaon to continue the questioning.

****** DBZ **** DBZ *******

Gohan squealed as another ice cold waterfall of water landed on his half-naked body. The boy tensed as another bucket of water was emptied above his head. A pair of feet appeared next to him and someone fisted his hair tightly. Comora pulled Gohan's head back and forced him to look up. "This will happen every time you disobey me. Next time we'll beat you even harder." Comora hissed in his face. He pushed Gohan's head back down and got up.

Gohan listened as the other footsteps moved out of the room and he lay down on the ground. The boy tried to ignore the throbbing in his arms, legs and back. A warm sticky liquid was running down his back, tainting the gray floor.

He knew Comora threatened to punish him and he knew Comora would keep his word. He assumed Comora would let the others whip him again but he recently found out that Comora was very creative in his punishments. This time Comora supervised and joined in on several occasions. Gohan noticed the main target was his back but they damaged his arms and legs too with the message that he had to feel this fully. They did not plan on carrying the punishment as far as is went but at one point, Gohan got so angry that he lost himself in it and attacked. It was the second time that Comora saw this though. They let Gohan take out his anger and acted once Gohan had calmed down. Comora told him he would not tolerate the anger attacks anymore so this resulted in an extension of the punishment. Gohan thought it would never end but soon they got tired of throwing ice-cold water on his body and they called it quits.

Footsteps moved back into the room. A warm towel landed on the half-saiyan. "You were very brave out there." Tobney's voice whispered as the hands gently rubbed Gohan's body through the towel. Gohan did not answer him. The others had forced Tobney to punish Gohan too so the half-saiyan was not in need for a conversation with the young comrade.

"Tobney. Get to work." Comora snarled when he noticed what was going on. Tobney got up and walked out the room. Comora watched him go and frowned thoughtfully. "Rookie. Get up and get yourself in the rejuvenation tank." He ordered. Gohan pushed his body up and clumsily got to his feet. The boy's eyes moved to the wooden sticks and empty buckets on the ground. Comora did not say anything as he escorted Gohan to the rejuvenation tank.

Gohan crawled out the tank thirty minutes later. The boy sighed heavily as he grabbed his boxers and changed into them. He looked at his new black uniform and as he was pulling it on he was staring at the Suta Team insignia on his armor. He hated that symbol more than he thought he could hate anything. A note was lying on the table telling Gohan to meet Comora at his office.

Gohan made his way to Comora's office. "Rookie." Comora said as Gohan gave a very small bow in recognition. "Since you have enough time on your hands to disobey me I decided to do something about that. From now on when you're not eating, sleeping, training or studying, you're doing chores." Gohan widened his eyes and opened his mouth to answer but Comora continued: "You will start every morning with making our beds and cleaning the bathroom. The windows have to be cleaned every week. You can spend the rest of your time cleaning the floors and dusting the furniture. There's work enough here." Comora said as he folded his hands together. Gohan clenched his fists but he knew he had to keep his anger in check. "I was planning on making you clean the room in which we punished you but Tobney volunteered to do this."

Comora noticed Gohan's expression at the mentioning of Tobney's name. "You and Tobney may have built quite a relationship in these last few weeks but that doesn't mean he will stand up to us for you." Comora said. "He knows his place. He might be the second strongest warrior in this squad but that does not keep us from punishing him. Once he was able to overpower us, Vegeta stepped in and helped us with Tobney's punishments. Vegeta will still do that. And he will do the same to you." Comora continued as his red eyes moved over the half-saiyan. Gohan crossed his arms and frowned at the warrior. "You're not going to say anything? You're awfully quiet."

Gohan pressed his lips together and looked away. Comora smirked. "You're going to give us the silent treatment?" Gohan stared at him. "Fine. Get to work, rookie." Comora ordered. Gohan saluted and turned away from the man. He walked out the room as he tried to ignore the fact that Comora's eyes were burning into his back.

Several hours later Gohan was cleaning the floor in the control room. He loathed every second of it but he knew he had to stay on good terms with the others for now. He inspected his back earlier and noticed two strange scars. One on his lower back and the other one on his shoulder. He figured those were the places that were hit the most. The rejuvenation tank could not even heal them properly. The half-saiyan listened as footsteps neared.

"Do you think we'll spend more than one day at Quia?" A voice inquired curiously.

"I don't think so. A few hours tops. We're on a tight schedule." Another familiar voice answered.

The two warriors walked inside. Kaon raised an eyebrow when he noticed Gohan but did not say anything about his. The man walked straight to the control panel with Itoro following him closely. "It will take us two days to get there." Kaon said after he'd pressed a few buttons.

"Two days? That's great." Itoro answered with a grin. "I can't wait." The two turned around again. Itoro's eyes moved to Gohan and he tilted his head as his eyes moved to his own drink.

Kaon sipped from his drink as he watched Itoro walk closer to Gohan. The half-saiyan looked up when he noticed two feet in front of him. Itoro looked down on him. "You missed a spot," He said.

"What? Where?" Gohan asked annoyed as he pulled back in a kneeling position.

Itoro tilted his glass and let the purple liquid run down. Gohan jumped up to avoid the fluid and gasped in anger. "Right there." Itoro said with a smirk. The man sipped from his now half-empty drink. "Nothing personal, rookie. I have wanted to do that to someone since I can remember." Itoro answered with a shrug.

"Fine then you can clean it up." Gohan snarled back at him.

"You've been doing such a good job. You might as well continue now." Itoro answered as he turned away from Gohan and met up with Kaon again.

"I'm not going to clean this!" Gohan yelled at them.

"You don't want us to get out our sticks, now do you?" Itoro yelled back as they walked out the room. Gohan tossed his cloth on the ground and growled in anger.

Gohan spent the rest of that day cleaning the ship and everything in it. He ignored the other warriors and they ignored him. Gohan purposely avoided Tobney the entire day and congratulated himself on that. This avoidance was forced to a stop when they had another training session. Gohan wondered if he would be allowed to join this mission since Comora was probably still angry with him. Comora did not send him away though.

The others walked into the large training room and started their stretching exercises. Gohan moodily followed them out as he wondered how tough this session was going to be. The half-saiyan was sitting on the ground, his legs spread and his hands resting on his feet when a shadow fell over him. "Hey Gohan." Tobney said cheerfully. "I haven't seen you all day. And that's difficult to do in a ship like this. It's almost like," Gohan got up and walked away, "you're avoiding me." Tobney muttered as he watched Gohan go.

Tobney followed the half-saiyan. "What's wrong, Rookie?" He asked worriedly.

"Stop calling me that."

"You never had any problems with it before." Tobney said and Gohan whirled around in response.

"No. I never said I had any problems with it. That does not mean I don't have any problems with it." Gohan snarled back as he glared at his comrade. Tobney's bright blue eyes widened slightly at the outburst. "Leave me alone, colleague." Gohan muttered as he turned away from Tobney.

Tobney appeared in front of Gohan. "Colleague? Seriously? Last time I checked we called each other friends." Tobney said when Gohan glared up at him.

"Last time I checked," Gohan repeated, "friends don't hit each other with sticks."

"I had no choice. You know that." Tobney answered.

"You _always_ have a choice!" Gohan yelled back. "I had a choice when I chose not to torture that man. You did not even have to gut to choose against them like I did!" Gohan screamed. "I don't need someone who will keep me back like that." Gohan sneered before he turned around and walked to the other side of the room to continue his stretches. Tobney watched him go.

The twenty-one year old looked down and slowly searched for a place to stretch his body for the battle. He gave one last sad look in Gohan's direction but the half-saiyan had turned his back on him so Tobney gave up and started stretching too. The two were too caught up in their own emotions to notice the smirks Kaon and Comora were giving each other.

"Rookie!" Comora called as he stepped closer. "Do you want to repeat the things we taught you the past few weeks?"

"Sure." Gohan answered tiredly. Comora petted on Gohan's shoulder before he flew up. Gohan looked in Tobney's direction but the slightly older warrior was now talking to Kaon as the two were stretching.

"Are you coming?" Comora's voice pulled him back in reality.

"Yeah." Gohan answered absently. The half-saiyan shook his head and flew up in the air to join Comora.

A few days later Gohan was sitting on a chair in the control room. His arms were thrown around his legs as he listened to the conversation between the adults. The conversation irked him very much but he knew not to complain. His back still had two scars from his last punishment. He did not want that to happen again.

"Isn't there a daycare or something? Somewhere they can watch children?" Itoro suggested.

"No. The planet is solely made for adults. Nobody usually brings kids there in the first place." Comora answered as he crossed his arms.

"It's not fair for one of us if he has to stay here and watch him. We haven't been here for months and who knows when we will be back." Kaon complained. "I sure don't want to stay here." The others mumbled agreeing comments.

"Do I have a say in this?" Gohan asked as he shifted on the chair.

"NO!" The others snarled back at him.

Gohan pulled a face. "I was just asking, geez." He muttered as he leaned back.

Tobney's eyes moved over the half-saiyan. They hadn't spoken since their fall-out. Tobney did not mind letting Gohan stay here on his own. Tobney knew Gohan wouldn't take the ship and leave. He mentioned this to Comora but the man did not trust Gohan enough to let him stay here on his own. The twenty-one year old walked to Gohan and leaned on the back leaning with his arms.

"Interesting isn't it?" Tobney started as he looked at the group of warriors. "They will never agree. They're like a bunch of kids."

Gohan did not answer as he watched the warriors argue about him. Tobney looked down at the half-saiyan. "Are you going to ignore me?"

"Leave me alone." Gohan answered shortly.

"This isn't fair." Tobney answered as he placed a hand on the right leaning of the chair so he could look at Gohan's face.

"Tell me about it." Gohan answered.

"Gohan, why don't we just start over? Let's forget about it all." Tobney said as he reached out and grabbed Gohan's chin to force him to look at him.

Gohan pulled away but continued to look at Tobney. "Start over? What if we do that? Wait until the next time I stand up to them and you just bow your head and stab me in the back again?" Gohan snarled at him. "Give up, Tobney. I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs friends. Especially here." Tobney answered. Gohan growled in annoyance and got out of the chair. He walked to the other side of the room and looked out the window. Tobney frowned as he watched Gohan go. He sighed and hesitated as he eyed the half-saiyan. "Let him stay here." Tobney said out loud.

The other warriors all looked in his direction. Gohan looked over his shoulder, wondering where Tobney was going with this. "Let him stay here. He can stay in the ship while we visit the planet. If Gohan leaves, I will take full responsibility." Tobney said with a determined nod. "And I will take any punishment you can think of."

Gohan raised an eyebrow as Comora stepped closer to Tobney. "Are you sure about this?" He asked.

"Yes. I know Gohan won't leave." Tobney looked at Gohan and met the half-saiyan's eyes. "He's just a little boy but he knows why he is here. He's behaved more like an adult than I've seen some real adults do. So, I have full confidence in him."

Gohan smiled slightly. The two young warriors looked at Comora expectantly. The man looked from Tobney to Gohan. "Fine. You can stay here." He said as he looked at Gohan. "If he leaves, you're in trouble." He said as he pointed to Tobney. The twenty-year old nodded.

The other warriors made their way to the door. Gohan stepped closer to Tobney. "If you think everything is forgotten because of this, you're wrong." Gohan said.

"I know." Tobney answered. "But it's a first step, isn't it?" He walked to the doorway as he said this. Gohan followed him.

"It might be." Gohan answered.

Comora frowned and grabbed Gohan on his shoulder tightly. Gohan widened his eyes slightly as he looked up at the large bulky man. Even though Gohan was stronger than he appeared, a large man bowing over a small boy like that was always intimidating. "If you leave with this ship, Tobney is going to get it. Don't forget about that." He threatened. Gohan nodded and Comora released him. The half-saiyan rubbed over his painful shoulder as he watched the others leave.

The half-saiyan leaned against the doorway and watched the group of warriors disappear in the city. Even though Comora threatened him before they left, they did leave Gohan here alone. There must have been some trust if they did that. Gohan knew that Comora would have never left him here if he wasn't absolutely sure Gohan would not leave. The same went for Tobney. Gohan wasn't very good friends with them but, knowing that they trusted him still brought a smile to his face.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Please review and let me know what you think! ;) **


	9. Chapter 9: A winwin situation, is it?

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><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz.<strong>

**Chapter 9. A win-win situation, is it?**

Gohan entered the small bedroom. The half-saiyan sensed around for any nearby presences but did not find anyone. "All clear." Gohan said with a grin as he stepped closer to the person on the bed.

Tobney rolled his eyes. "Good. I don't need yet another lecture about my disappointing behavior." Tobney answered annoyed.

Gohan sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry. It's my fault that you're in this trouble." Gohan's eyes moved to the glowing metal shackle around Tobney's wrist. The shackle was connected to the upper side of the metal bed, effectively tying Tobney to the piece of furniture.

"You should be. It _is_ your fault. Damn it." Tobney answered. "Do you know how long it took me to get off their bad side?" Tobney leaned back against the wall. "And you waltz in here and destroy everything I've worked for."

"Hey, I didn't ask you to get into a fight with Comora and the others." Gohan answered. "But thank you. It was nice of you to help me out." Gohan smiled at his friend.

Tobney smiled back. "You were right. I should have helped you from the beginning. I was just hoping you wouldn't be so resistant." Tobney answered with a sigh.

"I brought you something." Gohan said as he showed the package. "Open it."

Tobney could already smell the delicious scent coming from something inside the brown package. Gohan watched as Tobney quickly ripped the paper off the contents and gasped at the sight of his temporary present. A plate filled with meat, vegetables and brown goo which Tobney loved. Gohan never understood why. It looked terrible and tasted even worse but Tobney enjoyed it. "Thank you." Tobney said as he looked up. "Do you want some?"

Gohan shook his head. "I already ate with the others." He answered. Tobney nodded. He didn't need any more encouragement to make the food on his plate disappear.

Gohan watched him eat as he went over the events of that day. It all started that morning. They were having another training session and Gohan was entertaining himself with Comora. He actually started to enjoy the training sessions. He always learned a lot. His training sessions with Comora were especially helpful. The man tended to pay attention to Gohan's techniques and continued to point out his flaws. Gohan had gotten better and better at defending himself because of this. The main problem this morning was that Itoro was in a bad mood. It was the first time Gohan experienced a more difficult sort of training. Today Comora introduced Gohan to this harder type of training. They flipped a coin to find out who was going to fight who. It was supposed to be two against one.

Gohan entered this little competition but sadly lost so he had to fight against Itoro and Kaon. On the other side of the room Comora was fighting Suna and Tobney. It was the first time that they did not have a judge watching the competition. The fight had gotten bad quite quickly. Gohan had another anger attack, resulting in him beating the others into unconsciousness. Comora was furious when he found out. He was about to punish Gohan when Tobney stepped in. The twenty-one year old was slightly hesitant as he tried to talk Comora into letting it slide. Comora was too angry to let it go though and Tobney ended up physically defending Gohan.

At the time Comora decided not to punish Gohan since they were clearly outmatched if Gohan and Tobney teamed up together. Later that day they fetched Tobney, gave him a long lecture and tied him to the bed with the strongest chains in the universe. They knew they couldn't punish Tobney physically anymore. He had gotten too strong for that. So, as a punishment, he had to stay in bed for a week without training sessions or proper food. He got a bowl of soup three times a day.

Gohan had been hiding since he found out what happened to Tobney but they found him pretty quickly. The ship was not that big. They gave him a beating and told Gohan not to speak to Tobney or meet him in the bedroom. Gohan could only enter that room with another warrior when it was time to go to bed.

"Did anyone see you?" Tobney asked as his white eyes looked up at him. The small blue pupils scrutinized Gohan's expression as the half-saiyan leaned back and bit his lip.

"I think Comora saw me. I'll find out during the training session in two hours, I guess." Gohan answered with a shrug.

"You should really do something about those anger attacks." Tobney said with a slight frown.

"I know." Gohan answered with a sigh. "I just don't know how. They surprise me. I just get so angry that I cannot control myself. I don't know what to do about it."

"Try to count to ten." Tobney advised.

Gohan scoffed. "Yeah. Like that is going to work." He complained. "Do you think Vegeta is going to be mad at you?"

"I'm afraid of that." Tobney answered. "I don't think they're going to let this one slide."

"Just hope for the best, right?" Gohan answered. "I've been in some tough positions on planet Namek but I managed to survive every time. It will be okay."

"Planet Namek." Tobney said as he stared at his bowl. "That is true, right? What Vegeta told us?" Gohan nodded as answer. "Comora told us not to talk about it because it could have been a traumatizing experience for you." Gohan did not answer but did not look at him either.

"Was it that bad?" Tobney asked curiously.

Gohan shrugged. "I don't remember everything." He answered. "Some things reoccur in my nightmares. I will never forget Freeza's face. All his faces."

"I've never seen him. I have only heard stories about him." Tobney answered as he leaned back, his hands folded together behind his head.

"Be glad you've never seen him." Gohan answered. "He's what nightmares are made of."

"Freeza taught Vegeta well." Tobney said with a nod. Gohan chuckled.

"Yes, he did." The half-saiyan answered with a grin.

"Rookie." The two comrades looked up as response to the voice of the intercom. "I want to talk to you. Meet me in my office. "

Gohan pulled a face and got up. "Meet up later?" He asked.

"Do you think you can get away from the others?"

"They have been paying special attention to me since they locked you up in this room." Gohan answered. "They're probably afraid I might sneak off to meet you without their notice." Gohan smirked. "They know me so well."

"Gohan. Why am I still waiting?" Comora's voice snarled through the intercom.

"Impatient as always." Gohan grumbled as he hurried out the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Oh come on." Gohan complained as he stepped back. The boy felt the wall nudge against his back as he stepped back again.

Comora and Itoro were standing opposite him. Gohan pouted as they stepped closer. "Cut me some slack, guys."

You knew this day was coming." Comora answered strictly. "So be quiet and let me put those ki-bonds on again."

"But you said I did not have to wear them anymore." Gohan answered.

"Yes, on this mission. The mission is over now so you'll have to wear them again. Vegeta doesn't know I let you take them off." Comora answered.

"Oh really?" Gohan asked. "He won't be pleased to hear that, huh?" He asked mischievously.

Comora chuckled. "Don't even think about it. If you do that I will tell him a thing or five about your behavior these past few weeks." Comora warned.

"Just wait a few more days." Gohan pleaded.

"No. I'll forget about it." Comora answered as he shook his head.

"No, you won't. You never forget anything. That's why you're so good at what you do." Gohan answered innocently.

"Sucking up to me now, are you?" Comora answered amused. "That won't work."

"I won't let you put them on again. I like having my power-level higher." Gohan answered defiantly.

Itoro rolled his eyes. "Just get this over with." He said as he looked at Comora. The man nodded as answer. They looked back at Gohan as they gradually powered, getting ready to fight Gohan if needed. The half-saiyan put on his puppy-dog eyes but Comora continued to glare back at him.

"I let you take them off and now they're going on again." Comora said with a nod. His red eyes narrowed at Gohan. A few seconds went by in silence as none of the warriors made a move. Comora looked at Itoro. The other warrior shrugged desperately. They both looked back at Gohan and attacked. Gohan widened his eyes and jumped up in the air to avoid the first attack from Comora. The boy whirled in the air as he tried to kick Comora against the shoulder. The man moved away just in time to dodge the attack but Gohan was already focusing on something else. Itoro grabbed Gohan's wrist in an iron grip. Gohan tried to pull his wrist free but Itoro was still stronger than him.

Comora appeared next to the half-saiyan but Gohan kicked sideways, hitting the man right in the stomach, forcing him to step back while Gohan got rid of Itoro's hand. Gohan jumped up and flew to the door in high speed. He turned a corner and bumped into Tobney. The two tumbled through the hallway until they bumped into the wall. Gohan shook his head dazedly as Tobney rubbed over his forehead. "Auch. That's going to be a bump." Tobney muttered.

Gohan went to get up but four hands got to him first. The half-saiyan only got time to blink before Itoro and Comora clicked the ki-bond around his wrists. "No." Gohan complained as his power-level was pushed down until level 5000.

Comora grinned. "That's done." He said to Itoro. His comrade nodded cheerfully while Gohan frowned at the two warriors.

Tobney sent a few confused looks around before noticed the ki-bonds around Gohan's wrists. "Oh! You're on those things again!" Tobney said cheerfully. "So, now, you're weak." He stated. Gohan sent him a glare but Tobney was already enjoying this too much.

The twenty-one year old grabbed Gohan on his wrist and pulled him up in the air until his legs were dangling in the air. Gohan growled. "I can still fly." Gohan answered annoyed.

"Can you?" Tobney challenged as he tilted his head.

Gohan frowned and tried to fly up but Tobney's hand on tightened around his wrist. "Let me go." Gohan said as he tried to make Tobney's release his wrist. Tobney did not budge but shook Gohan's wrist, forcing the half-saiyan to fall out of balance and lower to the ground. Tobney grinned at Comora and Itoro. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

A knock was heard on Vegeta's door. The man frowned thoughtfully as he looked at his watch. He wasn't expecting any visitors. He did expect the Suta Team to arrive this afternoon but Gohan usually barged in the room without knocking.

"Come in." Vegeta said as he placed his pen on his white desk. The doors opened and Gohan walked in. He ignored Vegeta's surprised expression as he stopped in the middle of the room and knelt down.

"Request to speak to you, sir." Gohan said as he looked at the sober dark blue ground. Every time Gohan was in this room he tended to look at the large paintings of Saiyan warriors that were hanging on the walls. The room would be very dark if it wasn't for the large bright lamps hanging from the ceiling.

"Request granted." Vegeta said, somewhat put off by this behavior.

"I would like to strike a bargain with you, sir." Gohan yelled at the ground.

Vegeta raised both his eyebrows and leaned on the desk with his elbows. "Get up." He ordered. Gohan did as he was told. The half-saiyan walked closer until he could place his fists on Vegeta's desk.

"I would like to strike a bargain with you." Gohan repeated.

"You already said that. What is it?" Vegeta asked as he tilted his head.

"I want you to leave planet Earth alone. I want you to make sure the planet will be safe. I want you to place soldiers near the planet so they can watch over the planet and make sure it won't be purged." Gohan said as he looked into Vegeta's eyes.

Vegeta nodded. "And what do I get in return?"

Gohan looked down at his clenched fists and seemed to rethink this decision carefully. Vegeta waited patiently as Gohan hesitated. The half-saiyan looked up. "In return for those services you'll get me." Gohan answered determinedly.

Vegeta leaned forwards and tapped against the ki-bonds on Gohan's wrists. "I already have you." He answered.

"You may have control over my physical body but you don't control my mind, my soul." Gohan said with a nod. "I will go on missions. I will do my best during sparring sessions. I will do whatever you want me to do and I won't fight it." Gohan continued. "If you keep to your part of the bargain, I will be the best soldier you have ever had."

Vegeta eyed Gohan thoughtfully for a while until he answered: "Protecting a planet like that is very expensive. Keeping you on your ki-bonds and forcing you into submission might be cheaper."

"Will it? What if I continue to resist? What if I start destroying things? I know how much damage I can do. My training will be delayed gigantically if I don't participate." Gohan said. "It's a win-win situation."

"Yes, It's a win-win situation for me and planet earth." Vegeta answered with a smirk. "It's awfully selfless of you."

"I tend to be like that." Gohan answered. Vegeta looked into Gohan's eyes and noticed nothing but determination at this decision. The man leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"What made you want to make this deal?" Vegeta asked curiously.

Gohan looked down as his mind went over all the bad things that happened on the planet they had to purge. "I noticed what a force like the Suta Team can do to a planet. I've seen the horrors. I don't want that to happen to planet Earth. I want to keep the planet save."

"Planet Earth in exchange for you." Vegeta said slowly. Gohan's knuckles were white as they leaned on the desk. "You're going to call me lord Vegeta." Vegeta said.

"I will."

"And you will do everything I say."

"Everything." Gohan answered with a nod.

"Fine. You've got yourself a deal." Vegeta said as he looked up at Gohan. The half-saiyan extended his hand to the older warrior. Vegeta looked from Gohan's hand to the half-saiyan face and raised an eyebrow.

"It is how we seal a deal on planet Earth." Gohan explained. "Humor me." Vegeta rolled his eyes and shook Gohan's hand once. Gohan tried to pull away but Vegeta kept his hand in an iron grip. The man rummaged through his drawers until he found what he was searching for. He held up a small golden key. He pulled Gohan a little closer and pressed the key against the golden ki-bonds around Gohan's wrists. Vegeta continued to push the key into the bracelet until it disappeared entirely. Gohan felt the bracelets vibrating against his skin as if a small motor had been activated. The bracelets lit up before they suddenly clicked and fell to the ground. Gohan widened his eyes.

"You will stay here now anyway. No reason to keep you on those things, right?" Vegeta asked as he watched Gohan pick the bonds up. "If you leave my ship without my orders the deal is off." Vegeta warned. Gohan nodded as answer.

Vegeta stared at the half-saiyan for a while, making Gohan slightly uncomfortable, until he suddenly got up. Gohan watched him walk out the room and decided he was to follow the man. Gohan followed him out the room, into the hallway, and back in the launching centre. Gohan raised an eyebrow when Vegeta turned back to him. "You can stay here for a while and think about your decision." He ordered before he walked out the room.

Gohan scoffed as he watched Vegeta walk out the room. He glanced at the space pods, all sitting there, tempting him to grab one and take off. Gohan stepped closer to the space pods. "Alright. I can play that game too." He muttered as he sat down in one of the numerous space pods. He folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile Vegeta was just getting back in his office. The man sat down at the desk and looked at the security cameras to find out what Gohan was doing. He noticed Gohan was sitting in a space pod and jumped up. He was about to race back to the launching centre when he noticed how immobile Gohan was. The man eyed Gohan's closed eyes and relaxed body. The scoffed man scoffed as he brushed some papers on the desk aside. "Brat." He muttered as he sat down again.

That evening Gohan was sitting in the corner of the room, waiting for Vegeta to tell him he could go to bed, and mainly watching in disgust as Vegeta and Stirania flirted. The half-saiyan wondered what was going on between those two. Stirania seemed to hate Vegeta during the day but they cuddled like this every night. Gohan did not mind though. It kept the attention off him.

Vegeta was just grabbing a dark blue book with a bright golden title and looked up to meet Gohan's eyes. "Brat. Go to bed," Vegeta stopped talking and seemed to chance his mind, "No, stay here." He said. "I need a foot massage."

Gohan got up. "That's not the task of a soldier."

"Well, you sold yourself to me. Remember? I got you in exchange for planet earth." Vegeta said. "I can decide if you do the job of a soldier or a slave. And you weren't supposed to complain, remember?"

"I said I would do whatever you wanted me to do." Gohan answered. "I did not say I wouldn't complain." The half-saiyan knelt down at the edge of the bed.

"We should add that to your job description." Vegeta muttered thoughtfully.

Stirania placed her head against Vegeta's shoulder as she watched Gohan do his job. "Can he give me a massage too?" Stirania asked as she looked at her mate. "I could really use that."

"Sure. Brat, give her a massage." Vegeta ordered. "I can get one at any given moment from now on." He added when Stirania gave him a questioning glance. Gohan clenched and unclenched hi s fists but settled down and started massaging Stirania's feet.

Stirania groaned. "This is great. You have really strong hands."

"Should I be concerned by the pleasure you get from him?" Vegeta sneered after a second moan.

"Don't worry, Vegeta. You're still my favorite Saiyan." Stirania answered as she leaned against her mate. "At least until Gohan here turns eighteen." She added mischievously.

"If he lives that long." Vegeta muttered without looking up from his book. This threat did not miss Gohan's ears though. His eyes moved to the older Saiyan but Vegeta did not make eye-contact with him.

Stirania sighed happily as she closed her eyes. Gohan focused on his task and switched off his mind. He longed for the moment Vegeta would order him to go to bed. This did not happen very long after he started massaging her. Apparently, Vegeta was tired.

Gohan was lying in his bed later that night, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered if he made a mistake by making that deal with Vegeta. The man seemed to be trying to get Gohan to back out of the deal by ordering him to do things he'd rather not do. He then remembered that Vegeta used to do exactly the same when Gohan was working for him before he left for his first mission. He probably had to get used to working for Vegeta again. Gohan closed his eyes. He knew the alarm in his small room would wake him up early so he could get everything ready for Vegeta. He had to slip back into the routine as fast as he could. The first step he had to take was going to sleep right now.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The following morning Gohan was woken up by his alarm, as he already suspected. The half-saiyan stretched lazily, wondering why an alarm clock woke him up in stead of Comora's loud voice, but then remembered he was back in Vegeta's ship again. "Stupid Vegeta." He groaned under his breath as he pulled on his blue uniform. The white armor with a brown stomach guard and brown shoulder guards felt heavy around his body. The boy was just pulling on his boots when the door to his room opened automatically. Gohan entered Vegeta's room and knelt down next to the door just as Vegeta's own alarm rung. Stirania groaned and rolled over in her bed.

"You get up too early." Stirania complained as Vegeta sat up.

"You say that every morning." Vegeta answered shortly as he pushed his blankets aside and his feet landed on the ground. Gohan watched as Vegeta made his way to the small bathroom. Gohan shifted on the ground to relieve the ache in his knees. He wasn't used to sitting like this anymore.

Vegeta emerged from the bathroom clad in his official black uniform and a brown armor with white stomach guards. The man looked at Gohan and sent a pointed look to the bed. The half-saiyan rolled his eyes and got up. He made the bed as Stirania moved into and emerged from the bathroom. Vegeta was rummaging through the closet on the other side of the room.

Gohan brushed over the soft light brown fabric. The golden decorations at the edge shined in the lights. Gohan gently smacked against the pillows to get them back into shape. The symbol on the brown fabric of the pillows was golden too. Gohan stared at the circular lines that surrounded the small star in the middle.

"Boy." Vegeta called as he emerged from the walk-in closet. "Come here." He ordered. Gohan got up and walked closer. He'd been wondering what Vegeta was searching for since the man walked into that closet. The man showed a leash.

Gohan shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me." He complained.

"If you complain I'll make you wear it around your neck." Vegeta answered as he leaned down and wrapped the collar around Gohan's wrists. The man pulled on the leash, making sure it was sealed properly, before his eyes moved up to Gohan's angered face. "Oh, don't be so sad. You could've expected something like this."

Gohan continued to frown at the older saiyan but did not utter a word. Vegeta got up, grabbing Gohan's leash in the process, and walked to the doorway. He pulled on the leash when Gohan did not move, forcing the half-saiyan to follow him. He briefly wondered if they should wait for Stirania but Vegeta did not seem to consider her at all. Gohan followed him outside. They made their way through the gray hallways until they reached the large room where Vegeta ate breakfast and dinner, and where he feasted with the Suta Team once a week.

Gohan wondered how breakfast was going to be for him. Vegeta usually let him join breakfast but he had to wait until Vegeta had eaten dinner every evening before he could eat himself. He tried to remember the routines they had before he went on his mission with the Suta Team. It seemed so long ago.

"Well, sit down." Vegeta snarled when Gohan did not move. The half-saiyan nodded and sat down. Breakfast was brought quite quickly and Gohan, he'd forgotten how hungry he really was, finished his meal within several minutes.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Gohan decided to ask one of his many questions: "I noticed the ship has landed when I looked out the window earlier. What are we going to do?"

"Assuming that you're coming, are you?" Vegeta answered without looking up from his food.

"You always bring me to meetings or missions." Gohan answered. "I cannot be your assistant if I'm not around."

"Does it make you feel better if you give your position that name?" Vegeta sneered as his eyes met Gohan's brown orbs. The half-saiyan frowned back at him for giving him such a hard time. He was just trying to make conversation.

"Never mind." Gohan muttered.

"One of my teams just purged this planet. The men and women above thirty and the children under ten have been killed. We're here to inspect the goods. The teenagers will be sold into slavery and I could use a few new deckhands." Vegeta answered as he looked back at his food again.

"They're better off dead." Gohan muttered under his breath. Vegeta heard this comment but he did not answer it.

The planet turned out to be quite a catch. Gohan could almost feel Vegeta's mood improving as they spent more time on the planet. According to calculations of Vegeta's minions, he would fetch a very high price for the young women they caught. There were strong built young boys who would make great slaves for other warlords.

Vegeta chose several girls and boys for his own ship. Gohan knew Vegeta preferred to use children for several reasons. One of those reasons was that children were easier to scare and would therefore not easily rebel. Stirania told Gohan that another reason was that, as long as those children were working for Vegeta as slaves, they would not be recruited as child soldiers. This made Gohan look at Vegeta with different eyes. Temporarily.

As Vegeta was signing contracts and negotiating prices, Gohan took his time observing the planet. The sky was a blood red color, which made Gohan wonder whether it was becoming night soon when they first emerged from the ship. Now they had been here for several hours, Gohan assumed the sky always looked like this. The solid ground was a brownish color which Gohan associated with sand but the ground was as solid as stone. He tried to find vegetation, the planet seemed to be one big desert, and eventually learned that these aliens could live on sunlight alone. The sunlight fed their skins and their bodies transformed the sunrays into energy.

"Lord Vegeta. " Vegeta and Gohan turned their focus to the small man that was advancing on them. His dark green eyes were sparkling when he noticed his potential buyer. "It's so good to meet you." His brown hairy hand met Vegeta's gloved hand. "This is the final load. All boys. Their age is ten to fifteen. You can choose the ones you want and we'll take care of the rest." Gohan and Vegeta followed the chattering man. "They're all healthy and strong. They will fetch a good price. Most of them are from this planet but we found a few visitors."

"I just want to see them. I'll decide whether I like them or not." Vegeta answered shortly. Gohan frowned when Vegeta pushed the papers in his hands. His eyes moved to the large cage in which the small boys were trapped, screaming and crying, wondering what was happening. Gohan bit his lip as he noticed their suffering, their screams tearing through his soul.

Vegeta placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. The gentle squeeze told him to shut off his mind. Gohan nodded as answer to the non-verbal message. Vegeta growled at the noise they were making, taking a deep breath for his next action: "QUIET!" He yelled so loudly Gohan stepped back in surprise. The effect was evident as the boys slowly quieted down, crowding around the bars to find out who was the shouter.

"Good boys. Obedience is very important in this world. As long as you do what your superior says, you'll be fine." Vegeta explained as his eyes moved over the boys. "For example," Vegeta dropped the papers he was holding, "brat, pick this up." He ordered loudly.

Gohan sent Vegeta a glare as he sank through his knees to gather the papers. "He knows he has to do what I say in order to make it back to the ship in one piece. So I won't hurt him." Vegeta continued while Gohan gathered the papers. "That's how it works and that is how it will always work. Your life is as tough as you make it."

Gohan got up and handed the papers back to Vegeta. He pulled a face at the boys, earning hesitant smiles in return. Vegeta did not seem to notice this exchange as he moved to the door of the cage. "Kneel." He ordered. The young boys all knelt down, giving Vegeta proper view of them all. Gohan tried not to make eye-contact with them.

"Gohan?" A familiar voice spoke up. Gohan widened his eyes and looked up. His orbs searched for the source of the sound.

"Dende?" Gohan shouted when he notice the small green-skinned Namekian. The two jumped up and hugged each other tightly. "I thought I would never see you again." Gohan said. A grin was plastered on his face.

"I thought so too. Why are you working together with Vegeta?" Dende asked as he looked at the warrior over Gohan's shoulder. Gohan froze at Vegeta's name and turned around. Vegeta was glaring daggers at him.

"I'm sorry." Gohan muttered to the ground.

Vegeta scoffed. "We'll talk about that later." He answered. "I'll take that boy." He added to the small man. Dende and Gohan grinned at each other as they walked out the cage.

Vegeta was choosing more slaves as Gohan and Dende hugged each other once more. Gohan had to release Dende when one of the soldiers came up to escort Dende to the cage in which the slaves would be transported to the ship. Gohan sighed sadly. He was glad he would be able to see Dende again but it also meant Dende was going to be a slave from now on. Life as a slave was not much fun.

A fist got a hold of the band on Gohan's armor, forcing the half-saiyan to turn around. Gohan looked into Vegeta's cold eyes. "You're going to let me do this. That's an order." Vegeta hissed so soft that only Gohan could hear it.

A confused frown appeared on Gohan's face but he was not left in the dark for long. A fist made its way to Gohan face. He stumbled back and landed on the ground. Vegeta appeared next to his body but, instead of jumping up in order to defend himself, Gohan forced his body to stay on the ground. Vegeta pulled back a leg and kicked against Gohan's side. Gasps could be heard as Gohan rolled over. Vegeta buried his heal in Gohan's stomach twice, watching how the young boys in the cages cringed at the sound of Gohan's groans. "You see, boys." Vegeta said as Gohan rolled on his stomach, breathing heavily. "That is what happens when you don't listen to your master. "

Gohan glared up at him but did not say anything as he forced his body to stand up. He rubbed over his stomach while he went to stand next to Vegeta again. Work was not over yet.

The following few hours Vegeta's continued to inspect the planet, calculating the price they were going to ask for it. Gohan followed him all day, making notes, carrying bags and papers, and following orders. While they were making their way back to the ship, Gohan was searching for the cage in which the new slaves were being transported. He could not find it though.

Vegeta left Gohan in a small room. He told him he had to wait here because Vegeta had to take care of something. The room had no furniture except for a chair that was standing near the wall. It made Gohan wonder what purpose this room served. Vegeta entered not long after he left Gohan behind. "Look, brat. I got you a present." Vegeta said with a smirk as he stepped aside.

Dende ran in the room and grinned at his friend. "Gohan!"

"Dende!" The two friends hugged once more. Well, Dende hugged Gohan and the half-saiyan, seeing his hands were tied together once more, allowed him to do this.

"Can't we untie your hands?" Dende asked.

"Don't even think about it, brat." Vegeta answered.

"I don't have to listen to you." Dende snarled back.

Vegeta smirked as he stepped closer. He grabbed Dende's wrist, forcing the young Namek to turn up the palm of his hand on which a recent mark was seen. The wound was still fresh; his skin remembering how the hot iron touched the flesh. A dark V was seen on his skin. Gohan knew the real emblem was also a capital v. In the official emblem two rattlesnakes were curling around the lines of the V and two bird-like creatures were standing on either side of it, screeching to the sky.

Vegeta reached down and grabbed Gohan's wrists. He forced Gohan to open his hand as well. The mark was seen on Gohan's palm too. "Look at that. You're matching." Vegeta sneered. "This mark says I'm in charge of you. Don't you forget it." Both boys pulled away as Vegeta released them.

Gohan looked up at Dende. "It's okay. I can stay like this." He answered. Dende nodded as he sat down on the ground. Gohan followed his example. "Why were you on that planet? We did not purge planet Namek, did we?" Gohan looked at Vegeta.

The man shook his head. "That planet is too valuable. I might need those dragon balls some day." He answered, sitting down on low positioned window sill.

"We were visiting." Dende answered. "The people on that planet knew how to increase the size of the plants we are growing on our planet. We just wanted to know their secret so we travelled there to suggest an alliance." Dende looked up at Gohan. "I could join them because I am a member of the dragon family. That's why I was there." Dende looked down, his shaking fists clenching tightly. "The others were killed in the battle. We did bring some young fighters but we did not want to be seen as a threat. We did not expect we had to fight."

Gohan sighed. "I'm sorry." He said, even though there was nothing he'd done, he still felt guilty about not being able to help his young friend.

"How did you end up here?" Dende asked curiously. "Did you two decide to work together?"

"No," Gohan shook his head, "he decided it." Gohan pointed to Vegeta with his thumb. "I'm just trying to keep my planet in one piece." Vegeta ignored this as he looked out the window. He allowed Gohan the conversation. He was not planning on giving him any privacy.

Gohan shifted on the ground. "What kind of job did you get?" He asked. There were different kinds of jobs a slave could get on this ship. Some were sent to the ships of the Suta Team members, others were assigned as cleaning staff while others worked in the kitchen.

"I'm in the cleaning staff." Dende said as he looked up. "I don't really know what to expect." He added hesitantly when he noticed Gohan's expression. "Is it that bad?"

"No, I'm just surprised. The cleaning staff works everywhere in the ship. We might even bump into each other once in a while. I assumed Vegeta would make you work as a far away from me." Gohan's eyes travelled to Vegeta.

The man shrugged. "Friendship is not something I despise." He said as answer to the silent question.

Dende sighed as he looked down, his finger drawing circles on the ground. "I just wish I could have said goodbye to my friends and family. I might never see them again."

Gohan bit his lip, his eyes moving to Vegeta again, but the man shook his head. "Allowing you two to work on the same ship is already a very good deed on my part." He answered. Gohan frowned as he looked back at Dende.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help." Gohan answered. "Just being here is all I can for now, I guess." He added.

Dende smiled up at him. "Yeah. Let's look on the bright side. I still have you." He answered. Gohan grinned back at him.

"For now." Vegeta got up. "You have to get to work." The man stepped to the doorway. "And you need to report to Comora for your training session."

Gohan looked up. "What?" He asked as Vegeta pressed on a button on his watch. A few seconds later Denisra appeared in the doorway.

"You called for me?" She asked cheerfully, pushing her black hair behind her shoulder.

"Yes. This boy is the new edition to the cleaning staff. Make sure he knows what to do and how to do it." Vegeta answered.

"What training session?" Gohan said as he looked up at Vegeta. The man walked out the room, motioning for Gohan to follow him in the process.

Back in Vegeta's office the man rummaged through his drawers, retrieving a piece of paper and handing it to Gohan. The half-saiyan's eyes ran over the paper. "What is this?"

"Your training schedule for this week." Vegeta answered. "You'll have sparring sessions with me, the individual members of the Suta Team and some group spars here and there."

"Yeah. I can read." Gohan muttered sarcastically. "Am I in the Suta Team permanently?" He asked as he looked up.

"You went on a mission with them." Vegeta answered as he raised an eyebrow at the half-saiyan.

"I know, but I assumed that was just a one time thing." Gohan answered. "I was hoping it." He muttered as his eyes moved back to the paper in his hands.

"Why would I let them teach you all their techniques and signs if you would have gone with them for just one mission?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan shrugged. "Can't I join a different team?" he asked. "Anything but the Suta Team?" Another mission with them sounded terrible.

"No. The Suta Team is just right for you." Vegeta answered with a smirk. "Now run along to your first training session with Comora. He'll be expecting you and you probably already know how he hates to be kept waiting." Vegeta waved him out the room. Gohan groaned as he turned around. This was something he was not going to enjoy.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Second Mission

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Thanks to Sifl-senpai for proofreading the chapter!**

**Chapter 10. The Second Mission  
><strong>**  
>Three months later.<strong>

The lights in the large training room were dimmed slightly. No sound could be heard except for the sounds of fists meeting each other in mid-air, flesh slamming into bones and the small groans or cries that belonged to those encounters.

Gohan, one of the sacks of flesh and bones in the fray, felt himself be harshly pushed back from where he had planted himself in defense. The half-saiyan looked up at where he knew his next assault would come from and hastily moved up his arms to defend his body against the punches and kicks that were rapidly coming his way. Vegeta, his aggressor, smirked as he rushed the boy with everything he had. Gohan's eyes were going as fast as they could, catching all Vegeta's attacks in order to block them but they couldn't process the flurry of attacks fast enough to give the boy a chance to retaliate. Gohan narrowed his eyes in concentration, blocking hit after hit with precision until one of the older Saiyan's own hits broke through his defense. Vegeta's kick hit the child's shoulder and launched him into the ground but the boy managed to land on his hands and feet like a cat. Without missing a beat, Vegeta appeared next to him and kicked against his side, forcing Gohan to roll over until he was lying on his back.

A second later Vegeta mercilessly slammed his knee into Gohan's stomach. The half-Saiyan's upper body was forced into the air as the force rippled from Vegeta's knee and through him. He fell down again, breathing heavily, too exhausted to move. Vegeta watched as Gohan regained his breath. "It's a shame. All those training sessions with the Suta Team and you're still no match for me," Vegeta sneered.

Satisfied that he had proven himself stronger, Vegeta stepped back and allowed Gohan to get back up. Gohan growled as he rolled over so he could lean on his hands and knees.

Vegeta had to admit Gohan was progressing faster than he imagined. He remembered handing out a similar punch weeks earlier which damaged Gohan way more than it did now.

The man watched as Gohan rose to his feet, keeping his face impassive as he hid his wary assessment.

Gohan attacked immediately, knowing that Vegeta was not expecting this. He pushed his fist deep into Vegeta's unguarded stomach. The man doubled over in pain he did not expect to feel from his soldier's small fist alone. Gohan used this second moment of weakness to his advantage as well and kicked up, throwing Vegeta into the air before appearing above his master, putting his hands together, and slamming the older Saiyan back into the ground he'd just been launched from. The force from the hit made Vegeta's body bounce off of the ground once, like he was nothing more than a volleyball that Gohan had spiked for a point.

On the ground, the man growled in annoyance. He hated it when Gohan managed to land a hit and it was happening entirely too often in his opinion, though he would never show it and give his soldier confidence.

Gohan, oblivious to Vegeta's seething rage, wiped some sweat off his forehead, widening his eyes slightly when he noticed a red smudge on his hand. He touched his forehead again, winced and noticed blood red spots on his fingers when he drew his hand away.

"Come here, boy!" Vegeta yelled. Gohan landed on the ground near him, still a bit cautious around his master but not entirely sure he had done something to warrant punishment.

Still, it wouldn't be the first time that Vegeta suddenly attacked without a warning. The older Saiyan eyed Gohan's wounds. "That's enough for today," he said as he turned around. "We'd better get ourselves to the Namekian so he can heal us."

"Right." Gohan said in a solemn voice. He grinned as soon as Vegeta turned away from him. Seeing Dende was always a treat for him.

Dende, however, hated to see Gohan when he was beaten to a pulp and that was practically the only state Gohan was ever allowed to be in when he saw his friend nowadays. "Oh no." Dende ran closer in order to heal Gohan. "You're all beaten up again. Can't you two spar without killing each other?" He complained.

Gohan shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?" He teased, watching Dende's reaction with amusement. While he had been working with the Suta Team and Vegeta, he had almost forgotten how it was to have someone around who cared about his well-being, or what it felt like to be the one left to watch a loved one get beaten up. Dende quickly healed the half-saiyan and Gohan felt a little guilty for being the cause of Dende's worries.

"Please try not to come back tomorrow. Even though I like seeing you every day, I hate the circumstances." Dende muttered as he stepped back. Gohan rubbed over his wrists.

"It's really not all that bad. It just depends on who I am sparring with and in what kind of mood that person is," Gohan answered with a smile.

"Who?" Dende asked curiously. Gohan gave him a questioning glance. "Who are you sparring with tomorrow?"

"I think I have a training session with…Tobney?" Gohan's questioning eyes moved to Vegeta.

The man shrugged. "You should keep track of your own affairs." Vegeta answered, sitting down so Dende could heal him too.

Gohan scoffed. "You make my schedule every week. I just assume you know a bit about it." The half-saiyan pulled on his boots. "I guess a change of clothes is in order before we can eat?" Gohan suggested.

Vegeta looked down at his own ripped uniform and damaged armor. "That's probably a good idea. I am having dinner with the Suta Team tonight."

Gohan groaned. "I forgot about that." He complained. One of the traditions Vegeta insisted on keeping was that Gohan had to continue serving the drinks of the Suta Team and Vegeta during their weekly dinners. It was one of the tasks 'slave Gohan' had and, since Gohan agreed to be a full-time soldier, he hoped he would not have to fulfill this humiliating task anymore. It was extremely hard to pose yourself as an equal when you were serving drinks, especially in a warrior world. Gohan did not hate the members of the Suta Team, he was slowly warming up to Tobney, but he dreaded the possibility that they might start calling him 'refreshment boy' again. The comments "hey, I can use a drink. Maybe refreshment boy can pick something up for us" or "Don't worry. You might not be a great fighter but you can become a decent waiter" were used too often during their sparring matches already.

Despite his misgivings, Gohan still found himself serving drinks to the members of the Suta Team that evening. He tried his best to keep his face blank and remain nonchalant as he did it, but failed when Tobney grabbed his drink from Gohan's serving-plate and grinned at the half-saiyan. "It's always good to see you in your rightful place, serving our drinks." He teased.

Gohan rolled his eyes and turned away to continue his round. Tobney grabbed him on the band of his armor. "Can we start an hour earlier tomorrow?" Tobney asked when Gohan looked back at him.

"I have a spar with you tomorrow?" Gohan questioned.

Tobney nodded. "I have an appointment at seven and I have to prepare for it." The white irises focused on Gohan's face.

"I'll have to discuss it with Vegeta but I think it will be alright." Gohan answered with a nod. "What's so important that you need three hours to prepare for it?" Gohan asked curiously as Tobney released him.

"Nothing," he answered quickly.

"Tobney has a date." Itoro leaned on his elbows and grinned at the frowning warrior.

**"**It's not a date." Tobney answered annoyed, dark-blue blush creeping on his cheeks.

"She's the daughter of one of the members of the Bio Clan." Comora answered. "Very rich. She would make an excellent mate." He added with a wink to Tobney. "They met several months ago and they've been flirting with each other ever since."

"That's not true," Tobney complained loudly.

Gohan gasped. "Oh! That was the girl who was looking at us last week, wasn't she? She and her father were visiting the ship because her father had a meeting with Vegeta. I was wondering why she wanted to join her father on such a boring trip but now it all makes sense."

Tobney did not answer, crossing his arms defiantly, eyes glued to the table.

"She was observing us the entire time we fought and eventually she started talking to Tobney," he explained to the others. "I could have sworn I saw you two leave together," Gohan said thoughtfully.

"They left together?!" Comora exclaimed.

Tobney groaned. "Thanks a lot," he snarled at Gohan. The half-saiyan snickered as the others gasped and exclaimed things as reaction to this news.

"What did you two do?" Itoro informed as he leaned in closer. "Search for some privacy?" He teased.

"Did you two find a nice dark room?" Kaon added, noticing how the blushes on Tobney's cheeks grew darker.

"And now they want to re-do the secret date." Comora continued with a grin. Tobney was hiding his face behind his hands by now. He hated it when they got like this. Tobney and his girlfriends was apparently a running joke in the Suta Team. Gohan did not know why nor did he know how this tradition began since he was relatively new, but he did assume that it had to do with the fact that Tobney was the only one without a wife stashed away somewhere.

Vegeta broke the gossiping circle by snapping his fingers. "Boy." He said and pointed at his empty drink. Gohan pulled a face, walked away to grab Vegeta's drink, and returned to find out the conversation had already landed on a different subject.

After dinner Tobney passed Gohan on his way out, glanced at him and smirked. "You are so dead tomorrow," he warned.

"I'm shaking in my boots," Gohan joked back. Tobney petted on Gohan's head before he left the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Several days later Gohan and Vegeta were sitting in Vegeta's office. Vegeta placed a piece of paper on his desk. The man was giving Gohan his serious face, which meant that whatever Vegeta was going to say, Gohan probably would not like.

Gohan curled his hands together. "You asked me to sit down in front of you," he stated. "Was there a particular reason for that?"

"Yes." Vegeta answered. "I have something I wish to speak with you about. It concerns a planet in the Southern Quatrain. It's a beauty of a planet, with a lot of natural resources." Vegeta shifted the paper on the desk and pushed it closer to Gohan so the half-saiyan could look at it. He eyed the information on the paper with interest. "The only problem is that the inhabitants are very strong." Gohan looked up at Vegeta. "They are too strong for a normal group of warriors."

"This is a mission for the Suta Team, isn't it?" Gohan guessed, a heavy feeling settling in his stomach.

"You knew this day was coming. The second mission would not be far away." Vegeta answered.

"Can't I just skip this mission?" Gohan asked. "Just this once. The last mission was only like two or three months ago," Gohan pleaded. "Please let me stay here."

"Are you going to behave the same way you behaved back then?" Vegeta asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"No." Gohan leaned back in his seat. "I know better now. Besides, we made a deal."

"Exactly." Vegeta nodded approvingly. "I was planning on reminding you of that."

"You do that every time something like this comes up." Gohan smiled innocently at his employer.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "You will be leaving in two days. All your training sessions have been cancelled due to the fact that you'll be training while you are travelling to the planet. But that's good because you'll have to finish a lot of paperwork before you leave. You'll be busy with that and training would have interfered anyway. "

"No training for two days?" Gohan raised an eyebrow. That would be a relaxing two days. "That's fine with me."

"Don't be too pleased. Instead of improving yourself for two hour spurts, you'll be working all night to get the paperwork done." Vegeta answered.

"I'm many things but I'm not slow." Gohan answered as he leaned back in his seat and folded his hands together behind his head.

"Then get to work."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The ship was always very quiet in the morning. The lights were dimmed to preserve energy since nobody was really walking around at this hour. Nobody important, that is. Small feet could be heard tapping silently against the ground. The young slaves were taught to be silent as they prepared the ship for the following day.

The ship's Laundromat was held in one of the smaller rooms in the ships and it was littered with filthy laundry that piled up from the toils of that day on the small closets in which the clean laundry was hidden away, ready to be taken out and dirtied when the masters arose from their beds. Several young slaves were busy cleaning the clothes by hand, sitting side-by-side in the darkness.

Even though Vegeta could afford to acquire and use the newest technology for his laundry, he wanted to preserve energy by making the slaves do the laundry with just water and their own hands.

One particular slave was now folding up the clean dry laundry that had just emerged from the dryer. The young slave, named Dende, was now sending an accusing glance at his friend as he fumbled with the chore across the pile.

"So you're leaving me." Dende said as he neatly folded a blue uniform.

Gohan grabbed a white uniform from the pile. "It's not like I chose for it to happen," he answered. "I have to go on those stupid missions. Vegeta placed me in that team so I have to join them when they are sent on a mission."

"I know, but still." Dende complained. "Life here has been bearable because I could meet you once in a while but when you're gone I'll be all alone here."

"No. I'll be alone." Gohan answered. "You have made friends here. I noticed their cheerful reaction to your arrival several times."

"You have made friends too. That younger warrior has been visiting you often," Dende answered as he looked up at his friend. Gohan seemed to be growing faster than Dende and it felt odd having to look up to see into his face.

"Are you jealous?" Gohan inquired as a grin appeared on his face.

"Are you?" Dende countered, placing another clean and folded towel on the pile.

"I am." Gohan answered with a sigh. "Of your lifestyle." He added when he noticed Dende's expression. "I know you have to work hard and everything but at least you're not forced to kill people."

Dende's hands rested on the table, the clean towel still in his hands, as he studied his friend. "I'm sorry, Gohan. I can heal your bodily wounds but there is nothing I can do about emotional ones." He said sadly.

Gohan smiled at him. "Don't worry about me. I'll survive and get over it," he answered. A glance at his watch made his movements hasty and jerky and he sloppily put the folded towel on the pile. "I have to go now. Vegeta forced a pile of paperwork on me and I have to finish it. Jerk," he complained.

"I heard that," A voice sneered through the scouter.

"Do you always listen to my conversations?" Gohan snarled back as soon as he recovered from jumping in surprise. "I need to learn how to shut this thing off," he muttered as he turned to the doorway. He gave one last wave in Dende's direction before he disappeared in the dark hallway.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Every time Gohan entered the ship of the Suta Team he wondered why they were living in such strange conditions. It was not bad-they had a large bathroom and a large living room, several training rooms, entertainment rooms and fitness rooms-but they did not all have their own bedroom or bathroom. They shared those, and Gohan found that unusual. The Suta Team was Vegeta's private army. The elite of the elite. Gohan expected them to get their own room and everything.

This was not the case though. He placed his bag on the lower bed of the bunk he shared with Tobney. The slightly older warrior was lying on his bed, his face hanging next to Gohan.

"The second mission." Tobney announced. "Ready for it?"

Gohan opened his bag, giving out an annoyed groan as the zipper got stuck, pulling it back and then opening it fully. The half-saiyan shrugged. "Work." He answered shortly.

Tobney studied Gohan for a few seconds, his small blue pupils moving over every inch of Gohan's face. The younger warrior ignored his examination as he unpacked his bag. There wasn't much to unpack though. He never really got the chance to take something when he left his planet. The half-saiyan placed his pajamas under his pillow before grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste and placing it on his bedside table.

That was one thing Vegeta gave him when he first arrived on the ship. A toothbrush. Apparently, Vegeta preferred an army with clean teeth rather than clean hands. Gohan sat down on his bed while Tobney jumped off his own and onto the floor.

The warrior grinned at Gohan. "It's going to be okay. We have to travel for a month first, so we can forget all about the mission and have some fun while we're on the way."

Gohan looked up at him. "Have fun." He said blankly. "We're on a battleship, heading for a planet where we are supposed to kill everyone in sight. How can we have fun?" Gohan asked sarcastically.

Tobney tilted his head. "Well. Like this." Tobney dived onto the half-saiyan. Gohan gasped as Tobney's weight landed on him. Tobney immediately started tickling Gohan everywhere he could.

"Oh. No, you're not!" Gohan yelled as he turned them both over. He landed on top of his comrade while he was trying to push Tobney's hands off himself and onto the bed. Tobney growled as he pushed Gohan off and the boy landed with his back against the harsh ground. The half-saiyan pouted as he rubbed over his sore back. Then he narrowed his eyes at his attacker, who was still sitting on the bed.

The half-saiyan jumped up and closed in on Tobney. His fists were balled at his side as he stared his enemy down. Tobney was giving him a just as vicious glance in return. They both jumped up simultaneously, meeting each other in mid-air and rolling over the ground. They gave out war-cries as they tried to push each other down, threw each other off their own bodies and bumped into every piece of furniture in the room.

Comora was just stepping inside when he noticed the commotion. "No!" He yelled. "This is the first day. The ship has not even left and you're already making a mess. This is not how you're going to behave on this mission, do you hear me?" Gohan and Tobney stopped roughhousing and looked up before nodding obediently.

Comora nodded back, thinking they would be quiet now, and left the room again. Gohan and Tobney waited for a few seconds before they looked back at each other. Gohan grinned and pushed Tobney back to the ground. They were both laughing as they continued their fight.

******DBZ **** DBZ ******

The atmosphere in the large training room was tensed. Energy waved through the bright room as a result of the intense fights that were taking place. Gohan's face was pulled into a frown of concentration as he blocked every punch that was coming in his direction. Today's opponent was Comora.

The half-saiyan tilted his head to the side to avoid a punch from Comora. He moved his leg up to kick the other warrior but Comora was too fast for him. The man moved to the right, forcing Gohan to miss and fall slightly off balance.

Comora used this moment of weakness and punched in Gohan's stomach so hard that Gohan momentarily wondered if his opponent was planning on punching right through him. The half-saiyan gasped out bits of spit and blood, wondering how he could be so hurt by just one blow.

The half-saiyan looked up at Comora and concentrated on his power level. He felt a smirk creeping on his face when he noticed how different Comora's power level was now compared to how strong he was when they had last sparred.

Comora noticed Gohan's expression. "What are you smirking at?"

"Your power level is higher," Gohan answered as he eyed his opponent.

"What?" Comora asked, wiping the sweat off his face.

"You increased your power level," Gohan repeated. "Vegeta told me you can raise or lower your power level. Not like I can though. I can power up gradually. You have to go from one level to the next but you don't have to transform to do it. You moved up a level in order to fight me." Gohan stated.

"I never said you weren't getting stronger," Comora answered as he crossed his arms. A hint of his own smirk was seen around his lips as he studied the younger warrior. The change in Gohan's behavior was significant. Though the half-saiyan still had his bratty moments, he obeyed Comora and the others overall. He gave it his all during the training sessions, which was why he was making these incredible jumps in strength, and behaved well at any other moment of the day.

Still, Comora did wonder how Gohan would take his second mission.

They all knew about Gohan's deal with Vegeta. The Suta Team had gotten a reward from the Lord of the Universe for scaring Gohan into submission after their first mission. It was because of their strength that Gohan had decided to make the deal to protect Earth with Vegeta. They had made Gohan realize how fast a planet could be purged, which was something Gohan did not want to happen to planet Earth.

Gohan's servitude in exchange for planet Earth's safety: that was the general idea and the boy had ensured the trade as planned.

Gohan looked up at Comora and pulled him from his thoughts. "Do you really think that?" Gohan asked. "Do you think I'm improving? I don't know. Vegeta always tells me I am disappointing him." Gohan looked at his own hands.

"Is Vegeta's opinion important to you?" Comora asked curiously.

"No. I don't care if I disappoint Vegeta. I like the idea, actually." He grinned. "I do hope that my strength is increasing though. The stronger you are, the more important you are, right?" Those innocent eyes looked up at him again. Comora almost floated back because of the youthful naiveté reflected in those eyes.

"Yeah." Comora answered. "That's how this world works," he nodded.

"Then let's get back to work," Gohan answered impatiently. The half-saiyan clenched his fist as he watched Comora sink into a fighting stance.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The ship in which the Suta Team was travelling was one of the largest a squad could own. There were many hallways which made Gohan wonder if he would ever know his way around. It seemed an impossible feat the first time he'd been on the ship.

Now, though as he was running on high speed, he knew exactly where to go. His feet went so fast a bystander probably would not be able to see them in detail. A power level was following not far behind him but Gohan had already reached his destination. The half-saiyan entered common room where the other members of the Suta Team were hanging around.

"Good day, gentlemen." Gohan said cheerfully. "Would you like to see…?"

"Gohan!" Tobney stormed inside and growled angrily when he saw Gohan. "Give it back!" He launched at Gohan but the half-saiyan jumped away just in time. He raced to the other side of the room and used the couches to distance himself from Tobney.

"Give what back?" Comora asked curiously.

"Nothing." Tobney said immediately.

"Remember the girl Tobney is having a relationship with?" Gohan asked cheekily. He sent a grin in Tobney's direction.

"She's just a friend." Tobney complained tiredly.

"Oh really?" Gohan asked. "Do you keep a picture of all your friends in your private stuff?" He dangled the picture in the air. "You don't have a picture of me. I feel left out." Gohan pouted.

Tobney frowned at Gohan but he did not move. Comora reached out. "Let me take a look at her," he said.

Gohan reached out to give the picture to Comora but Tobney chose this time to strike. He appeared in front of Gohan and tried to grab the picture. Gohan pulled back just in time to keep the picture to himself. The half-saiyan stuck out his tongue to Tobney. "We're just looking. That's what a picture is for, isn't it?" Gohan teased. "You kept it so you can look at her every day. So sweet."

The others chuckled as blushes appeared on Tobney's face. The twenty-year old frowned at the half-saiyan. "Just wait until you are old enough to have girlfriends. I will remember this and have my revenge."

"Oooooh, I'm scared." Gohan sneered.

Tobney tried to grab the picture again but Gohan kept it out of his reach. The two struggled for dominance, pushing each other over in the process and rolling over the ground. "Give it back!" Tobney cried.

"No way!" Gohan answered.

They bumped into a table, which collapsed at impact, before they rolled back to bump into the couch. "Hey!" Comora yelled, annoyed. "Stop that!" The two youngsters ignored him as they continued their struggle for power and the picture.

"Didn't you hear him? Stop it!" Itoro added as he watched them roll over the ground.

"What's wrong with them?" Suna asked, a frown sent in their direction.

"They're brats, that's what," Comora answered. "Still, how do we stop them?"

"Did you say we land in two days?" Kaon asked loudly.

His comment had the desired effect. Gohan froze and looked up. Tobney, who heard the message too but did not think much of it until he noticed Gohan's reaction, let his arms fall down as he looked up at Gohan. The half-saiyan pulled back, allowing Tobney to get up. He knew the others were watching his every move, dying to see a negative reaction.

Gohan stood straight, wiping some dust off his blue uniform. "Well, we'd better train hard to make sure we are ready." Gohan answered with a smile. After this he walked out the room quickly.

Comora raised an eyebrow as his eyes moved to Tobney. "That was a pleasant reaction." Comora said thoughtfully.

"Do you think he's in denial?" Itoro asked as his eyes studied the brightly lit hallway into which Gohan had disappeared.

"I think he's trying to put up a brave front." Comora answered as he crossed his arms over each other. "He does not want to show us how sad he really is." Comora glanced at the other warriors.

"He's failing then." Tobney answered, glaring a little at his teammates. "You can see right through the eleven year old. And congratulations- You've managed to spoil the fun of a child who's emotionally vulnerable just because you wanted to watch him break. You must be so proud." Tobney rolled his eyes as he walked out the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"What are you doing?" Tobney asked as he stepped in the room. Gohan looked over his shoulder. The half-saiyan looked back down at the control panel.

"I don't know. I'm trying to turn this ship around?" Gohan muttered as answer.

"Having any luck?" Tobney asked with a small smirk.

"Didn't you notice the ship turning?" Gohan answered without looking back, his hands still leaning on the control panel.

Tobney looked up at the small planet that was coming closer and closer. "The first mission is the worst. It gets better." Tobney answered.

"Does it?" Gohan asked without looking up. "I have the feeling it will only get worse."

"You do have to join us now." Tobney answered. "It won't be the same as last time. Comora will pay special attention to you. He knows you are not looking forward to it."

"Of course he does." Gohan muttered under his breath.

"Arrival in ten minutes." The robotic female voice sounded through the speakers.

"Thanks." Gohan muttered.

The ten minutes went by in a flash. They all gathered near the large entryway. Gohan brushed over his black uniform, his eyes lingering on the Suta Team insignia on his armor. He sighed as he watched the others walk closer.

"This planet is not that big." Comora said as they walked out the room. "Itoro and Tobney. You can take the south side. Suna and Kaon, you can take the east. Gohan and I will start right here."

"Told you." Tobney whispered in Gohan's direction. Gohan frowned as he watched Tobney and Itoro fly away. The half-saiyan looked up when Comora called him.

"Let's go, rookie." He said as he waved Gohan over.

Gohan sighed as he flew up and joined Comora in the sky. The man powered up when they reached the first city. Gohan looked up at his team leader. "Alright. We've got work to do," Comora said, slowly flying down.

"Wait." Gohan's arm extended towards Comora. The man stopped in mid-air and looked over his shoulder. "Don't you have an assignment for me?" Gohan asked.

"Yes. I do." Comora turned to Gohan fully. "Kill as many people as you can."

"Already?" Gohan asked. "Can't you give me a number or something like that?" He asked

"That only counts for the first mission. I'm lenient on the first mission. Now you have had time to get used to it," Comora answered shortly. "I don't care if you don't want to do it. Shut your emotions off and get to work." He turned away from Gohan.

Gohan clenched and unclenched his fists. He felt his anger rising because of the helplessness of his situation but he took a deep breath. He did not want to be punished because he lost his temper. Vegeta already gave him a hard time for every time he lost his temper during the first mission.

Comora ignored Gohan and flew down. Gohan waited as the first few explosions took place. He closed his eyes and counted till ten. The half-saiyan followed Comora's example. He extended his hand to a large building and closed his eyes.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Congratulations on a job well done." Comora pushed a beer in Gohan's hands. The half-saiyan looked up at him from his position on the comfortable couch. "You've cleaned up very well today."

Gohan scoffed as he placed the beer on the table. "Done gloating?" He asked without looking up from his book. The moment they arrived in the ship Gohan retreated to the library. He enjoyed sitting there, reading about the lives of other people so he would not have to think about his own life, or the lives he had just ended.

Comora fell down on the couch that was standing opposite Gohan's. "I will tell Vegeta how cooperative you were. He might give you a raise or something like that."

A smile appeared on Gohan's face. "Is that your way of finding out if I get paid?" He asked, his eyes studying Comora over the edge of the book.

"Do you?" Comora sipped from his drink. Gohan shook his head as answer to the man's question. "I think Vegeta should pay you." Comora continued. "Freeza used to take all his earnings and he hated it. He told me he would do anything not to be like Freeza."

"Well, he failed." Gohan's icy voice answered. "He took a child from his home planet and forced him to do a job most grownups can't take. He's just like Freeza."

"I agree." Gohan looked up in surprise. "I don't always agree with Vegeta's ways, Gohan. I just follow orders." Comora got up and walked to the rows of book cases. His finger traced over the books until it held still at one particular cover. The man grabbed it before he walked back to the couches and took his former place upon it. The man shifted on the soft cushion as he placed his drink on the metal table and opened the book at a marked page. Gohan briefly looked up to study the large warrior.

After a long pause, the half-saiyan grabbed his beer and took a sip. It wasn't the first time he tasted a beer. The silence continued as Gohan looked back down at the words on the pages in front of him. They both travelled to different worlds, temporarily forgetting their own.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Are you ready to go home?" Tobney asked as he leaned on window sill with his hands.

"Vegeta's ship is not my home." Gohan answered shortly.

"True, but it's as close as it's going to get." Tobney looked at the large ship that was coming closer and closer.

"I have to admit. I like the missions better than my life in the ship. Is that bad?" Gohan looked up at Tobney. The white eyes with small blue pupils looked back at him. "Here I can walk around freely. I can train whenever I want. I can spend my days reading or playing games or relaxing. In the ship I have to work for Vegeta. Be in his presence. Run errands. I'm so selfish." Gohan muttered.

"I wouldn't call it selfish." Tobney answered with a shrug. "I agree. It sounds better to be here if you say it like that. All good things come to an end though." Gohan nodded as answer to this statement. Tobney scratched his head, brushing through his short hair. "Now that we're being honest, I have to admit that since you joined our team, I like the missions better too. It's nice to have a friend around."

Gohan returned Tobney's grin. "Just so you know. If you need to talk or something. It can be about anything. I'm here." Tobney added.

"Same here." Gohan answered. The two exchanged uncomfortable smiles before they looked back at the ship. "Time to face Vegeta." Gohan muttered as he stepped back.

"We're here with you," Tobney answered as the silhouettes of the others appeared in the doorway.

"For now." Gohan muttered. Their comrades entered the room and gathered near the control panel. Comora pressed in the last few buttons to make sure their arrival at Vegeta's ship would go without any problems. They waited until they were connected to Vegeta's ship.

The doors opened to let them in. They entered Vegeta's office several minutes later. There they all knelt down, their heads bowed forwards. "Lord Vegeta. We're here to tell you our mission was successful. The planet is entirely empty, as you wished."

"Good. Do you have the report?" Vegeta asked.

Comora got up, crossed the distance between his position on the ground and Vegeta's desk, and placed the documents on the table. "Everything is in here."

"Good. You are dismissed." Vegeta answered. The others got up and turned away from Vegeta. Gohan watched curiously as Comora whispered in his leader's ear. The lord of the universe rolled his eyes, shrugged and gave a short answer. It almost seemed like he said "fine".

Comora got up, winked at Gohan, and left the room. Vegeta gave Gohan a glance Gohan had not seen before. Vegeta opened one of his drawers and retrieved a silver key from it. "You can go to your room. The big one." Vegeta held out the key for Gohan to grab. "You have the rest of the day off. You can report to me tomorrow in my office. Ten o' clock."

Gohan nodded. "Thank you, sir." Gohan answered quickly. He rushed out the room before Vegeta could change his mind. In the hallway he eyed the small key. The half-saiyan almost flew to his room. He fell down on the large bed, enjoying the feeling of the soft fabric. He wanted to enjoy this feeling for now. He did not know when he would be able to sleep in this bed again.

Gohan hoped Vegeta would let him sleep in this bed, permanently, and soon. Vegeta could not force him to stay in that other small room any longer if he behaved well, right?

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11: Time goes by so slowly

**I don't own Dbz or any of the characters.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter 11. Time goes by so slowly…**

The universe is a large place. It is a dark place for anyone travelling on his or her own. Space pods were making their way to their destinies. Stars were shining brightly. One particular large ship was quietly drifting to nowhere in particular. There were many windows covering that ship. One window was built in recently so a young boy could look out once in a while. Many times the boy was staring out the window, wondering if this black void was the only thing he would ever see when he looked out the window. His dark brown eyes often studied the different stars and planets in sight. Every day he would look outside just in case the ship moved and he could find a beautiful planet to look at. This continued for days, which morphed into months and these eventually changed into years.

**Three years later.**

RING RING RING

Gohan groaned and rolled over in his small bed. The boy hit the alarm clock so hard it shattered on impact. This woke Gohan up, his eyes wide as he stared at the broken clock. "Crap. Vegeta's going to kill me." Gohan complained as he lay his head down again. The half-saiyan pushed his body up entirely, forcing it out the bed before he could fall asleep again. The boy gave an accusing glance at the book as if it was its fault that Gohan had been reading it till late last night.

The half-saiyan quickly changed into some clothes and, yawning all the way, stepped out of his small room and into Vegeta's large one. Gohan tip-toed out the room, closing the door behind him gently, and ran to the kitchen to get something to eat. He enjoyed the breakfasts he had on his own. It meant he could eat whatever he wanted without any supervision or complains from Vegeta.

"Good morning." Dende cheered as he placed a plate filled with food on the table. The slave placed his own plate on the table before he sat down. Dende was not allowed to eat breakfast in Vegeta's dinner room but Vegeta was still asleep so he was not there to catch them in their prohibited behavior. The supervisors of the slaves did not really care whether Gohan was eating alone or not. They just did not want to get the blame when Vegeta caught them.

"Good morning." Gohan answered. "Busy day today?" He added curiously.

"Oh yes. There are guests coming so we need to clean the ship extra today." Dende answered as he leaned on the table with the elbow. "We've been at it all morning."

"Guests?" Gohan inquired.

"That's all I know. You're going to have to ask Vegeta for more information if you want to know more." Dende answered with a shrug.

Gohan nodded as answer. "Vegeta has a day off today." Gohan answered. "And I have so much work to do. I have to finish a report that is due tomorrow. I'm not even half-way."

"Training session?" Dende asked.

"No." Gohan answered. "That does not matter, though. The Suta Team members can order me to train with them at any time." He added as explanation.

"Let's hope they won't then." Dende answered with a smile. Gohan nodded in agreement.

Breakfast was over faster than Gohan wanted it to be. The half-saiyan hastily travelled to his office. Two years ago Vegeta offered Gohan his own office. The half-saiyan was thrilled at the time. At first, having an office he owned sounded great. He did not consider that he had to travel all the way to Vegeta's office several times a day from that moment on.

The office was smaller than Vegeta's. The desk was standing in the middle of the room. Windows covered the back side of his room. A closet, in which Gohan could place all his finished or unfinished reports and paperwork, was leaning against the gray wall.

Gohan spent the next few hours working hard, writing letters, sorting mail and constructing reports about everything and anything that was going on in the ship. The half-saiyan was just finishing up a report about a planet that had been purged a week ago when his scouter beeped. Gohan pressed on the button placed on the side of the machine. "Yeah?" He asked, leaning on the desk with his elbow.

"Boy. Come to my office. Now." Vegeta answered.

Gohan sat up. "Vegeta? I thought you had the day off?" He answered.

"What did I just say?" Vegeta snarled back at him.

"I'm just finishing up something that is due tomorrow. Can this wait?" Gohan asked as he quickly typed in more words to finish the report faster.

"How much do you value your life?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "I'll be right there." He saved and closed the program, shutting off the computer while he got up. The half-saiyan hurried to Vegeta's office, barging in without knocking. Vegeta sent him a glare in response to this moment of bad behavior. "Hey, you told me to hurry." Gohan said in his own defense.

"Don't forget who is in charge around here." Vegeta hissed as he narrowed his eyes at the half-saiyan. Gohan frowned back at him but did not give a verbal response. He would lose this battle anyway. Why bother trying to win?

"You asked for me?" Gohan asked as knelt down.

"Yes. I have a meeting in a few minutes. I want you to join me." Vegeta answered. "Make notes. You know the drill." Vegeta gathered the needed papers as he said this. The man got up, pushing the paperwork into Gohan's hands, before he walked to the door. "And be quiet." He added without looking back.

Gohan growled in annoyance as he followed Vegeta, trying to organize the papers in his hands as he did this. He quickened his pace to keep up with Vegeta. "Is this meeting going to take long?" Gohan asked as he looked up. "I have to finish that report about planet Krika."

"Do you really think I care about your dead-lines?" Vegeta snarled back.

"Well, since I'm working for you…" Gohan started but Vegeta cut him off; "You'll just have to work over-time tonight."

Gohan pulled a face. Great. Working over-time was something that happened too often in his opinion. Gohan was in charge of all the mail sent to Vegeta. He had to reply to the less significant messages, delete hate-mail or threats and send the important messages to his master. He also had to gather all the known information about the planets the warriors working for Vegeta purged in order to make a commercial document and calculate the price. Missions, training sessions and meetings with Vegeta or other warriors were added to his to-do list and usually on short notice, forcing Gohan to have to work harder and more to finish everything on time.

Gohan curiously flipped through the pages as they walked, ignoring Vegeta's glare. He usually peeked at the papers pressed in his hands. Vegeta allowed it but not without some harassment in return. "Planet Goo?" Gohan asked curiously. "I thought you already sold that planet."

Vegeta sent him a glare that told him not to ask about it but Gohan was already too interested to obey to this command. "Why are we having a meeting about this planet?" Gohan asked.

"Because it's our sole purpose to keep you from your duties." Vegeta answered shortly. Gohan rolled his eyes as he closed the binder.

"I need information in order to be of any assistance." Gohan complained. "I can't point out any lies or flaws in his plans if I don't know what we're talking about."

"Just having you there is enough. It will make them feel like they're being watched." Vegeta answered as they passed a large group of soldiers. They all bowed for their leader before they resumed their journey. Gohan watched the short encounter with interest. Vegeta was a strict leader but he wasn't the tyrant Freeza used to be. Vegeta did not reign on fear but on respect. He fought every single warrior under his command to show them he could defeat them easily. He made sure they all knew how strong he really was. In the past three years Gohan witnessed several examples of these recruitment matches.

About a year ago, Vegeta found a way to have these matches without really fighting them himself. He did this by sending Gohan to the battlefield. He would have Gohan fight the new soldiers and, after Gohan had won, tell them Vegeta was even stronger than Gohan, which ultimately meant Vegeta could defeat them too. Gohan did not mind this new turn of events. He started to enjoy sparring matches just for the thrill of finding out how he would do. Besides, the more ruthless matches he endured, the stronger he got. And strength was important in this society.

"I did not know I could be so intimidating." Gohan muttered more to himself than to Vegeta.

The older warrior barked out a laugh. "An eleven year old is intimidating?" He sneered. "Don't make me laugh."

"I'm fourteen." Gohan rectified.

Vegeta glanced sideways. "Are you? I must have missed your birthdays." Vegeta added thoughtfully.

Gohan shrugged. "I never expected you to give me breakfast in bed and present me with presents." He answered shortly.

"Too bad. I enjoy crushing false hopes." Vegeta answered with a smirk as he pushed the code into the entrance panel. The door opened to let the two warriors in and meet the new business partners.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

A stack of papers was dropped on Gohan's desk. The half-saiyan frowned at the pile before he frowned at the newcomer. "More work."

"You live for things like that, brat." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan pulled the first document off the pile, eying it with disdain.

"These are files on the slaves." Gohan observed. Vegeta appeared next to Gohan, pushing against his shoulder. "What?"

"I want to sit down."

"It's my desk." Gohan answered as he looked up.

"No, it's my desk. You're just the one who can sit behind it all day." Vegeta answered strictly.

"Like now." Gohan's big brown innocent eyes beamed up at him. Vegeta grumbled rude things under his breath as he grabbed a nearby chair and sat down opposite Gohan. The half-saiyan relished this little victory with pleasure.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "We havetoo many slaves. They're becoming a bother. I'm going to sell some of them." Vegeta said bluntly.

Gohan frowned at him. "What? Why would you do that?" He asked as he grabbed the papers. His eyes moved over the names on the list.

"As I said, we have too many slaves here." Vegeta leaned back in his seat. "I need to get rid of them." The man crossed his legs over each other. "I need you to tell me who you do not want to sell."

"Really? You're considering me?" Gohan asked curiously. He could not believe such a sweet gesture was coming from Vegeta.

"Yes. I am." Vegeta answered shortly. "Don't get used to it. It's just this once."

"Thanks." Gohan started but Vegeta cut him off: "Besides, you work harder on days you've met up with your friends. It's purely selfish." Vegeta added.

Gohan rolled his eyes before he focused on the paper. "Let's see. Dende is a good friend of mine. You cannot sell him." He said strictly.

Vegeta nodded as a smirk appeared on his face. "I wasn't even considering him." He answered shortly.

Gohan's finger moved down the list of names. "Diia is an excellent waitress. You have to keep her." He continued. "Lolila is very good at sowing. She can mend every dress or shirt you give to her." Vegeta handed a pen to the half-saiyan and Gohan started to circle the names of the slaves he wanted Vegeta to keep.

"Temero hates cleaning the windows while she is very good at it. She has this technique that gets it done very fast. Denisra usually makes her clean the windows. She had to do it yesterday and she almost tossed the bucket in Stirania's direction when she told Temero she had to clean the windows yet again." The pen floated in the air as he thought about this.

"I don't have all day." Vegeta complained.

"Oh, right." Gohan muttered as he looked down again, his eyes focusing on the papers in front of him. The half-saiyan worked down the list, circling the names of the slaves he did not want to lose. Vegeta eyed the list once he was done.

"You've made quite some friends." Vegeta observed. "It almost makes me think you have too much spare time."

"You know that's not true." Gohan frowned at his master. "I mainly picked them out because of their hard work and talent for cleaning. They will be most efficient when cleaning the ship or preparing food."

"Right. Denial has never been your strongest point." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair.

"So?" Gohan asked. "Is there something else I can help you with?"

Vegeta studied the half-saiyan. "When was the last time we sparred?" He asked thoughtfully.

"It was a while ago. We've both been busy." Gohan answered, pressing a code into the computer. The screen switched on to show a picture of Tobney and Gohan, grinning at the camera. Gohan remembered the day they took that picture. They were on a large planet which they had to purge. It had been a challenge. A long hard and terrible battle but they won. And boy, were they glad they won that battle. That's why Tobney decided the moment had to be eternalized.

"That's not okay. We should spar at least three times a week." Vegeta complained. "We're going to spar today."

"Today? But I'm busy." Gohan answered as he looked up from the screen. "I have so much work to do."

"I thought I was your employer." Vegeta got up, crossing his arms and sending a strict glance in Gohan's direction.

"You are, but, I," Gohan sighed, "fine. What time?"

"I'll let you know." Vegeta turned away from the half-saiyan. "Oh," Vegeta looked over his shoulder, "next time you try to disobey me, you won't live to see the next day." He said almost innocently before he turned back to the door and made his way out the room.

Gohan shook his head as he looked down at the papers on his desk. "I'm never going to finish this report on time." He muttered as he placed a hand on his forehead.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan and Vegeta were locked in a fierce battle. The dark sky showed lighting created by the energy the two were emitting. The two warriors had the entire planet to themselves. This was what Vegeta called a "training planet". The planet would not make much money in the galactic market so Vegeta decided to keep it around so he could have big sparring matches like the one they were having now. Only Vegeta, Gohan and the Suta Team members could land on this planet without asking for permission.

The first time Gohan landed on the planet he had to blink twice. The planet was dark. The nature was kept intact but it could hardly be called nature. The black shining tree-like objects existed sporadically on the planet. There was water, which was only salt. This wasn't a problem since the original inhabitants drank salt water like Gohan was used to sweet water. There weren't many species that could live on salt water though. This made the planet less valuable.

They narrowed their eyes at each other while trying to damage the other as much as possible. Gohan pulled back a fist, intending to punch in Vegeta's stomach, but the man caught his punch. Vegeta pulled Gohan closer so he could plant his knee in Gohan's stomach. The half-saiyan felt the air being pushed out of his lungs.

Vegeta released Gohan's fist as a smirk appeared on his face. "It's sad to see the student still hasn't surpassed the master yet." He sneered as he put his hands together and forced them down on Gohan's head. The half-saiyan was launched to the ground where he used his hands and knees to push off.

Gohan landed on his feet, looking up for another attack but Vegeta was nowhere to be found. A frown of concentration appeared on his face. Vegeta was not showing his face or power level anywhere. Gohan stepped back as his eyes darted around the room. He widened his eyes and whirled around, extending his leg so he could kick the man that appeared behind him. Vegeta was launched on his back, letting out a short gasp at this development. Gohan was getting faster every day.

The man frowned up using his legs as leverage by throwing them up in the air and jumping up. Gohan sank into a fighting stance. Vegeta's teal eyes studied Gohan with interest. Gohan brushed through his glowing hair. "Ready for round nine?" Vegeta asked.

"Always." Gohan answered as a smirk appeared on his face.

Vegeta appeared in front of him and tried to punch him. Gohan blocked the punch with precision. Vegeta tried to pull away but Gohan kept a firm grip on his limb as he thought of a counter attack. The half-saiyan released Vegeta's fist in favor of grabbing the man's head so he could knee the man against his face. Vegeta gave a harsh growl in pain at this encounter. He stepped back, giving Gohan enough time to jump in the air and push his boot in Vegeta's stomach. The man sank through his knees, clutching his stomach, while Gohan landed on the ground. The half-saiyan placed his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

Vegeta's narrowed eyeswere the only warning Gohan got before the man jumped in the air. He placed his hands together and powered up a large blast. Gohan widened his eyes as the blast grew. "Vegeta. No!" He yelled.

The half-saiyan extended his hands to the catch the blast just in time. He heard Vegeta's scream a second before he could feel the heat of the blast scorching his hands. He growled as he braced his legs to keep himself from falling.

"You're going to fail." Vegeta yelled at him. "Give up."

"Never!" Gohan screamed back. The half-saiyan powered up higher than he thought possible. He groaned in pain as the blast scorched his palms. He closed his eyes in concentration while muttering pleas to the kami of this planet.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he pushed more power into the blast. This was ridiculous. That boy was not supposed to be able to withstand his blasts like this. He was supposed to be weaker. Vegeta was his superior. This felt wrong.

Gohan bit down on his lip so harshly he could swear he was creating wounds. He shifted his foot slightly to get a better grip on the ground. The half-saiyan gave a scream as he powered up even more. The blast Vegeta was attacking him with was suddenly pushed back so fast Vegeta had to jump aside quickly to avoid getting hit. The man watched the blast soar into the night sky. His widened eyes turned back to the half-saiyan. Gohan was sitting on his hands and knees, his black hair hiding his face from Vegeta's sight. Vegeta landed on the ground.

His eyes studied the half-saiyan suspiciously. "When was the last time you let your power be measured?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan looked up, leaning on a knee with his arm. "A few weeks ago. Why?"

"I want to see that report." Vegeta turned away from Gohan. "This training is over. Get back to work." He ordered. Gohan watched him walk away. A worried frown was present on the half-saiyan's face as he followed his master.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Stirania yawned lazily, stretching her tired body. Vegeta was sitting next to her, reading the universal paper. Stirania looked up at the gray ceiling. "Gohan is sleeping in his own room tonight?" Stirania asked curiously.

"What makes you think that?" Vegeta asked without looking back at her.

"He's not here. It's like two o' clock." Stirania raised an eyebrow at him. "What is he doing?"

"He's still working."

"What? Vegeta? How can you do that?" Stirania exclaimed as she sat up. The strap of her black nightie fell off her shoulder but she ignored it.

"Do what?" Vegeta did look at her now. He was not in a fighting mood but he hated it when she raised her voice like this.

"You can't make him work until two in the morning. You usually wake up at eight, right?" She asked.

"He's done it before." Vegeta growled. "Why are you whining about this?"

"He's a fourteen year old boy." Stirania answered. "You can't make him work this many hours every day."

"I don't care. As long as he does his work properly I am happy. That's all I need." Vegeta looked back at his paper. "Brats don't need that much sleep."

"Unbelievable. How can you live with yourself?" Stirania frowned at her mate. "Go get him, right now. He needs to sleep."

"Why should I do that? You're not my boss, remember?" Vegeta answered without moving.

"If you don't do what I say right now I'll bite you." Stirania threatened.

Vegeta smirked at her. "What makes you think your bites will do any damage to me?" He sneered. "I'm so much stronger than you, even your hardest attack would not even tickle."

"I know a very vulnerable place. If I bite you there, you'll definitely feel something." Stirania raised an eyebrow at the shocked expression Vegeta was giving her. "Still want to disobey me?"

Vegeta clenched his fists. "I should kill you for this kind of behavior." He started as he tossed the sheets off his body.

"But you won't because you like me too much." Stirania answered with an innocent smile.

"I would not push your luck if I were you." Vegeta snarled as he got up. He quickly pulled on his uniform before he stalked out the room.

Meanwhile Gohan was still working on his report. He yawned loudly, placing his hand on his mouth. The half-saiyan leaned back and stretched his tired body. Giving a short glance at the clock, Gohan decided he had to work faster if he wanted to get some sleep in. He usually let some music play on the background but Vegeta destroyed his stereo several weeks ago. The silence in the room reminded Gohan of this event every day.

"Gohan?" The half-saiyan looked up.

"Dad?" Gohan asked out loud.

"Hey son. How are you doing?" Goku was standing near King Kai once more. The man enjoyed his time on King Kai's planet but was often plagued by the hardships his son had to go through. Because of this, he often contacted his son.

"I'm great." Gohan answered, rolling his chair back so he could grab a file from the small cabinet that was leaning against the wall behind him. "How is everything going up there?"

"Good too. Piccolo and I are training every day. We're pushing each other to our limits." Goku answered, smirking at the man that was standing opposite him.

"That's good to hear." Gohan placed the map on the desk. "I was sparring with Vegeta a few days ago and I managed to deflect his blast. He was so surprised that he stopped the training." Gohan chuckled. "He did not expect me to get stronger, I guess."

"Do you know how strong you are compared to him?" Apparently, Piccolo couldn't let a subject like this go.

"I'm not really sure. I do know I'm very close." Gohan answered slowly. The half-saiyan opened the report. The half-saiyan's eyes moved to the person who was being assessed in this report. The unruly black hair was very familiar to him. He looked right into his own brown orbs. His finger moved down the numbers until they landed on the estimated power level. Gohan sighed as his eyes studied the power level. He removed the piece of paper from the bundle. He grabbed another paper and placed the two next to each other. They were identical except for one little piece of information. Gohan's power level was lower on the second revised version. The half-saiyan placed the second version in the bundle and closed it.

After placing the bundle back in the cabinet he sat down and looked at the first version again. The piece of paper was still lying on his desk. Gohan had to participate in these assessments. They scrutinized his body, mind and power level. Vegeta kept a close eye on the power levels of all his soldiers. What he did not know was that Gohan had been changing the data on his power level for years now. In Gohan's opinion, Vegeta did not have to know.

"That's not one of your finest moments, huh Gohan?" Goku asked.

"You can see me?" Gohan asked as he looked up.

"No, but we know what's going on in your head. King Kai is giving us the 411." Goku answered.

"Keep doing that, Gohan." Piccolo answered. Gohan could almost see him standing there, his arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

"What?" Goku asked. "Why?"

"Vegeta is keeping tabs on Gohan's strength. He does not want Gohan to become too strong. That is why Gohan should hide his power level." Piccolo answered. "What if Vegeta decides Gohan is too strong and kills him?"

"Vegeta wouldn't do that." Goku answered. "He would probably try to defeat Gohan…"

"And kill me when he wins." Gohan added as he looked up. "Piccolo's right, dad. This is the best thing I can do. I don't like being dishonest and living a lie, but there's not else I can do."

"It's just sad that you've been brought to this situation, Gohan." Goku answered with a sigh. "I hate to see you hurting."

Gohan shrugged as he evaporated the original paper. The half-saiyan stared at his computer screen, a yawn destroying his focus. "I'm tired." He muttered.

"Wait." King Kai interrupted. "You're still working?"

"Hmmm. Just finishing something up." Gohan leaned on his desk with his elbow, his chin resting in his palm.

Goku looked at King Kai. "What is wrong?"

"I just checked the time. It's ten past two," King Kai answered, "in the universal time. That means you're up very late."

"It happens." Gohan answered shortly, his fingers moving over the keyboard. "Don't worry about it." He added.

"I'm your father. I will always worry about you." Goku answered with a small smile.

"I can take care of myself." Gohan answered as his eyes moved over the computer screen in front of him. "Besides, there's nothing…" Gohan closed his mouth when he felt a familiar power level suddenly very close. The half-saiyan mentally kicked himself for not paying attention to this presence earlier.

Vegeta opened the door without knocking, a frown plastered on his face. "Who were you talking to?" He asked.

Gohan stared at Vegeta at a loss for words. Vegeta stamped closer, making Gohan roll back slightly with his chair. The man pushed the desk aside with his brute strength. Gohan flinched back as the desk crashed into the wall.

"You're overreacting." Gohan said as he looked up. The half-saiyan tried to get up but Vegeta pushed him back in his seat.

"Answer my question." Vegeta hissed into Gohan's face.

"I don't have to tell you that." Gohan answered as he tried to get up again. Vegeta's hand pushed him back down once more and Gohan let out an annoyed sigh.

"Do I have to call the members of the Suta Team?" Vegeta threatened as he placed his hands on his hips.

"What? So you can torture me again? Just to find out whom I was talking too. Even Comora will think that's a bit extreme." Gohan answered as he crossed his arms over each other. "I wasn't planning any destructive events. Don't worry."

"If you are not going to tell me who you were talking to right now, I'll destroy your planet." Vegeta said as he narrowed his eyes. Gohan looked up at him, his eyes searching for the fallacy in Vegeta's eyes. He could only see darkness.

Gohan looked down. "I err… I was … I was talking to…." Gohan searched for a suitable name. Someone he could contact quickly to tell him they had just had a fictional conversation. Tobney crossed his mind but he knew his friend would not mind getting Gohan in trouble. He would play dumb just to watch Gohan squirm. Comora would not cooperate. The other Suta Team members were not available. They were on family vacations. Comora was recently divorced and Tobney did not really have a family anymore which was why they were still available.

Gohan hadn't even realized Vegeta was holding his collar in a tight grip to add some intimidation to this ordeal. The half-saiyan looked up, ready to answer.

"He was talking to me."

Gohan and Vegeta both looked up at the ceiling. Vegeta released Gohan before he stepped back. "Kakarott?" He asked.

***** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Gohan's present

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Who will be watching the Eurovision Songfestival tonight? I'm not very proud of the artist who will be singing on our behalf or the song she will be singing.. But I will cheer for her though :) (A little Dutch nationalism in here!) I like big music shows like this one. I hate those Idols/popstar etc etc etc etc contests, but I like these global events. (Even though the eurovision is not really global, I guess..)**

**Oh well... Let's get on with it :)**

**Chapter 12. Gohan's present**

"Kakarot?" Vegeta asked as he looked up at the ceiling. Gohan swallowed heavily. "How can you talk to him?" Vegeta asked.

"King Kai. He is the god of the Northern quatrain." Goku explained. He really wanted to know what was going on down there right now but he could not see a thing.

Vegeta's glare was focused on Gohan, who was avoiding his eyes. Vegeta knew this meant that Gohan knew he was in trouble. "How long have you been contacting your father behind my back?" He asked.

Gohan was still looking away. He did not even see the punch coming. Gohan placed a hand on his cheek. Vegeta's hand was ready for strike two but Gohan quickly answered his question: "I've been talking to him for a while now."

"When was the first time?" Vegeta reached down to force Gohan to look up at him. The half-saiyan moved his chin out of Vegeta's grip but continued to look up at him nonetheless.

"At least three years ago." Gohan's eyes defied Vegeta's.

"Three years?" Vegeta asked, his calm mood forgotten.

Vegeta grabbed Gohan's collar and pulled him up. The man pulled back a fist, pushing it into Gohan's stomach. The half-saiyan gasped in pain while Vegeta was targeting his cheek. The half-saiyan let out a strangled growl as Vegeta punched him once more.

"Vegeta!" Goku called out. Piccolo frowned as the disturbing sounds continued.

Vegeta pulled back his fist but Gohan caught it this time. "How dare you." Vegeta started, trying to pull back his fist. Gohan tightened his grip on Vegeta's hand as he pulled back his own leg. He kicked against Vegeta's side harshly. The man dropped the half-saiyan, who landed on his feet, to rub over his wounded side. Gohan got into a fighting stance.

"I'm not going to let you beat me up for this." Gohan said. He wasn't going to initiate this fight but he would not back down either.

"You are going to regret this." Vegeta answered as he narrowed his eyes at the half-saiyan. Gohan pressed his lips together. He would accept any eventual punishment. Just not now. Not with Piccolo and his father listening.

"Next time you contact him, you will tell me. Got it?" Vegeta said.

"Yes." Gohan answered, his stance wavering slightly.

"Yes, what?" Vegeta tilted his head, his lips curling up slightly.

Gohan frowned at him. The man was enjoying this too much. "Yes master." Gohan answered, dropping his stance completely, an icy smile gracing his own lips.

"Tell me, brat." Vegeta said as he walked to the crashed desk. "How many people did you kill in the last year?"

"I don't know." Gohan answered as he crossed his arms.

"It must have been at least a million." Vegeta said thoughtfully.

"Stop it." Goku said as a frown appeared on his face. "We know what Gohan's current occupation is. We also know he's been forced into everything."

"To a certain extent. Yes." Vegeta answered. "You have to admit you are starting to enjoy it now, don't you?"

"Of course not." Gohan answered shortly.

"So you don't take pictures of the planets you have destroyed in record time. You never play games with the others regarding the purging of planets or make bets on how many you can kill in one mission." Vegeta asked, sending a mocking glance in Gohan's direction.

"I can't continue to hate myself for it." Gohan answered. "So, yes, I try to make it easier for myself. Sue me."

"What are you trying to do, Vegeta?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm showing you that your little boy isn't your little boy anymore." Vegeta answered while Gohan was grabbing his chair so he could place it back on its original place. After this he turned to his wrecked desk. "What?" Vegeta asked Gohan. "No smart retort? You won't say anything to defend your case?"

"You seem to be having a great conversation on your own." Gohan answered shortly. "No need for me."

"I am here to talk to Gohan, not to Vegeta." Piccolo answered annoyed. "So, leave the room so we can continue our conversation in private."

Vegeta laughed. "You've got some nerve." He answered. "Don't forget your precious little half-breed is in my dangerous hands." He added while Gohan was quietly putting his desk back in one piece. The injuries seemed to be minor. Vegeta crossed his arms. "I killed you, didn't I?"

Piccolo growled as answer. "You got lucky." He answered.

"Keep telling yourself that." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan placed his computer back on his desk. "I did your stupid planet a favor by nicking the two biggest idiots."

Gohan scoffed, earning a glance from Vegeta. "I sense disagreement." Vegeta said as he tilted his head.

"Shouldn't be new to you." Gohan countered as he sat down at his desk. He started typing as if nothing happened.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "You can stop for today. It's time to go to bed."

"I haven't finished this report yet." Gohan answered as he looked up from the screen.

"It's fine." Vegeta answered while turning away from the half-saiyan. "I just told you to stop working but if you want to finish your report while you don't have to that's fine with me." The man walked to the door.

Gohan quickly shut off his computer and switched off the lights by clapping his hands twice. He followed Vegeta, running to keep up with the older saiyan. "Are you still there, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked curiously.

Gohan appeared next to his boss, running to keep up with him. "I'm here, Vegeta." Goku answered shortly.

"Good. I wanted to ask the Namekian how it felt that he wasn't able to protect his dear student when he needed it the most." Vegeta sneered sadistically. Gohan rolled his eyes.

"He's alive. That's all I care about." Piccolo answered, the anger in his voice telling a different story.

"Alive. It depends on what you mean with that." Vegeta answered, reaching down and placing his finger under Gohan's chin, pushing his face up. Gohan automatically pulled away, earning a smirk from his master. "Live to serve. The motto of a slave."

"Life is what you make of it, Vegeta." Goku answered. "But we wouldn't mind if you decided to set Gohan free."

Vegeta laughed. "No. I need him to kiss my boots every day. He does such a great job at it." Vegeta sneered.

"Are you two having fun together?" Gohan asked out loud. "It's not like I'm not used to others talking about me like I'm not in the room but that does not mean I like it."

Vegeta was the one who opened the door to his bedroom. Gohan followed him in, walking lightly because of the now sleeping form in the bed. The young warrior opened the door to his own small room. Vegeta gave the half-saiyan a strict glance. "Two minutes." He said before he turned away and walked back to his own bed. Gohan closed the door without replying.

Gohan sat down on his mattress. "Did he just give me permission to continue my conversation with you?" He asked out loud.

"I think he did." Goku said as a smile appeared on his face.

Piccolo shrugged when Goku gave him an expectant glance. "We'd better sign off. You need your sleep, Gohan."

"Oh, don't go." Gohan said as he looked up.

"We'll stay with you in spirit, Gohan." Goku answered. "Piccolo is right. You need to go to bed."

Gohan shed off his armor. "You're probably right." He muttered. "Good night, guys."

"Good night, Gohan." Goku answered.

"Sleep well, kid." Piccolo added.

They took their hands off King Kai's back simultaneously. Goku scratched his head. "That was interesting."

"For a moment there, I thought Vegeta was going to harm Gohan more than usual." Piccolo answered as he stepped away from them.

"He did not stop you from communicating with Gohan though." King Kai eyed the two warriors. "He even gave Gohan permission to continue the conversation without him present."

"He might be changing?" Goku suggested hopefully.

"No. Vegeta will never change. Gohan might soften him a bit though." Piccolo answered shortly. "We'll see how far that goes. For now, what do you say we have a little match of our own?" Piccolo and Goku crossed sights, a smirk present on their faces.

"I'm always in for a match." Goku answered as he followed the Namekian warrior.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan walked from one side of the hallway to the other side before he turned back to take the same route again. Tobney was watching the half-saiyan with interest. In the past few years their relationship had taken some interesting turns. Their first mission together was difficult, and Gohan did not want to make friends with any member of the Suta Team. Gohan and Tobney were both young warriors though, only separated by ten years of life experience, and their bond was strengthened by their hatred for Vegeta. As the years went by, the two warriors grew closer and closer, seeking each other's company more often even outside of their missions. His friendship with Gohan was something Tobney had never experienced before.

That was until THE FIGHT happened.

Tobney never understood why the others referred to those few weeks with such a stupid name. Gohan never commented on it but Tobney knew he was irritated by the name as well. The reason for their fight was stupid, as are all reasons for arguments.

There was this girl. Tobney was interested in her and Gohan, and only Gohan, knew about this. Tobney desperately wanted to keep this a secret from their comrades. Gohan, however, blew this by asking the girl if she was interested in Tobney. She was interested but Tobney was furious with Gohan for meddling with his love-life, especially when the others found out about it. Gohan refused to apologize for doing what he thought was the right thing. Thus, the fight continued. The others decided not to interfere in their little brawl.

Vegeta was the first one to take action, since the fight between his elite soldiers was bad for business, by sending them off on a duo mission. After a lot of arguing, threats from Vegeta and pleads from both Gohan and Tobney, the two left for their three month journey to the planet they had to purge. They soon found out that making up was not as hard as they thought it would be.

"Inspecting the floor for any crooked tiles?" Tobney guessed.

Gohan looked up. "Look what the cat dragged in." He sneered. "I thought you were on vacation."

"Two weeks are over before you know it." Tobney answered as he shrugged.

"Tell me about it." Gohan muttered.

"You don't get a vacation, do you?" Tobney asked curiously. He'd never heard of Gohan going off on vacation.

Gohan shook his head. "Nope. One of the many perks of being a slave." Gohan said sarcastically. "Speaking of which, Tobney, when was the last time you spoke to Vegeta?"

"You've got bad news, huh?" Tobney leaned against the wall.

"I've got bad news." Gohan answered with a sigh.

"Poor guy. I´ve never envied you for your position in this army. You get to work alongside Vegeta and receive all his anger and annoyance."

"Lucky me, huh?" Gohan complained. The half-saiyan took a deep breath. "Okay. Enough self-pity. I'm going in." Gohan clenched his fists and turned to Vegeta's door.

The half-saiyan stared at the door, pausing. Tobney raised an eyebrow as he watched Gohan stand in front of the door. "Are you going in any time soon?" He asked cheekily.

Gohan sent him a glare. "It's not that easy." He answered. The half-saiyan placed his hand in the scanner next to the door. Tobney gave him an encouraging nod before Gohan entered the room. Tobney waited until the door was closed before he chuckled.

"Poor guy." He muttered, walking away.

Gohan stepped in the large office. Vegeta was sitting behind his desk, his expression telling Gohan all he needed to know. "I was wondering when you would come in." Vegeta sneered.

"I just needed to sort out my thoughts." Gohan answered shortly.

"You just needed to gather you nerves." Vegeta answered, his lips curling up. "What is it you want to tell me?"

"It's not good news." Gohan said quickly. "Well, not really bad news. It's just not good news."

"Spill it." Vegeta answered in annoyance. He leaned back in his chair. The computer on his metal desk was screaming for his attention but he ignored it.

"That new planet team 234 purged?" Gohan said, waiting for Vegeta's acknowledgement. The man nodded. "The report just came in and it's not good. We expected the planet to make us profit but it turned out to be less valuable that we though."

Vegeta growled. "I should have known something like this would happen." He complained as he got up.

"They're requesting your attendance at a meeting." Gohan added quickly.

"I expected as much." Vegeta answered. The man reached the door in record time where he paused. He looked over his shoulder, giving Gohan an expectant glance.

Gohan gasped and followed him. While they were walking he gave his appearance a once over. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Vegeta usually did not care about appearances but he was in a bad mood and that meant he had to find something about Gohan that was wrong. Something he could complain about or even punish the young warrior for. The half-saiyan could not find any faults in his appearance though so he decided there was no need to change anything.

They arrived at the room where the meeting was held. Vegeta glanced at Gohan. "What are you trying to be, a poster boy for the neatest warrior?" He sneered.

Gohan pulled a face once Vegeta looked away. Why even bother? Vegeta would always find something to complain about. The half-saiyan decided not to answer since they needed to work together right now. Vegeta turned to Gohan, speaking the Saiyan language: "Listen to every word we say and remember every lie. I want to speak to you once we're done." Gohan nodded in response.

They entered the large room. One large table was standing in the middle of the room; many warriors were gathered, sitting in chairs around the table. A bulky warrior was frowning at them from the wall, a painting giving to Vegeta many years ago. The window on the right side of the room showed many stars, blinking in the dark universe. Vegeta sat down at the head of the metal table. Gohan stood next to him, wondering how he was going to get through the next few hours without falling asleep. He wished Vegeta would somehow let him off the hook. Meetings were not his favorite way of spending time. It mainly meant he had to stand in one place for hours and hours. He was not really needed at all. The only thing he would be doing was listening.

The meeting was over before he knew it though. Vegeta lead the young warrior back to his general office. The man sat down at his desk, leaning back in his chair. "What was the most important thing you heard?" He asked.

Gohan thought back. He bit his lip as he looked down. "Well, I just… It's nothing."

"Say it."

"I thought the price of the planet was higher." Gohan answered thoughtfully. "The planet was not worth much so we would not have made much profit, but there should have been some extra cash. That is why we lost so much money on this planet."

"Exactly. Someone is messing with my administration." Vegeta answered thoughtfully. "The question is; who is it?"

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

There was one thing that Vegeta knew would get Gohan in a bad mood. He always used this method to push Gohan back in his place. In his opinion, the thirteen year old had the tendency to act above his level and on times like this, Vegeta needed to gently show him where he belonged.

So, here Gohan was, sitting in a chair with Vegeta's feet on his lap, massaging them. The half-saiyan frowned as he shifted on the chair.

Vegeta was reading a report. "Well done." He said. "You made this planet look like it's worth something. I would have never thought to mention that an island with deadly poisonous plants is a great place for a prison."

"Thanks."

"It's a skill I can't take away from you." Vegeta muttered as he closed the report. The man eyed the half-saiyan. He opened his mouth to say something but a knock on the door interrupted him. Vegeta pulled his feet away from the half-saiyan. "Come in." He yelled.

Two soldiers rushed inside and knelt down. Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he turned to them fully. "Lord Vegeta. We have urgent news." One of them began.

"Yes." Vegeta pushed. The soldier who had spoken was now giving Gohan a hesitant glance. "He's deaf when I tell him so." Vegeta said when he noticed this. Gohan looked up but Vegeta pushed his face down again without looking in his direction. The half-saiyan rolled his eyes.

"The last ten planets were sold but the prices weren't right. We did not make any profit on them." The man answered.

Vegeta scoffed. "And you think I did not know that already? I was hoping you would know who was meddling with my business." Vegeta answered annoyed.

The two soldiers moved back at this. A small smirk appeared on Gohan's face. Vegeta frowned at the soldiers. "Well? Any more bad news?"

The two soldiers exchanged glances, almost as if they were daring each other to tell the following information. "Today another report came in." The first soldier continued. "A planet was stolen from us."

"Stolen?" Vegeta repeated. Gohan glanced sideways.

"Yes sir." The soldier answered. Vegeta got up, slamming his hands in his desk. The two soldiers jumped back in fear.

"Do you know who did it?" Vegeta asked. His voice was very calm and soft. Gohan knew this was a bad sign.

"We don't, sir." The soldier answered shortly. "They stole it after we sold it. The buyer is expecting a planet but we can't deliver."

Gohan studied the soldiers by glancing sideways. He did not want them to notice he was listening so closely. Vegeta's finger tapped on the desk impatiently. "Leave." He told the soldiers as he sat down.

The man rubbed over his forehead, his eyes closed. "Who was the buyer of that planet?" Vegeta asked once the soldiers were gone. Gohan tapped in some information in the computer.

"Lord Dopa." Gohan answered as his eyes ran over the information on the screen.

"Crap." Vegeta complained. Lord Dopa was too valuable to disappoint. He could not afford that, especially with a potential war coming up. Dopa was master over several large armies. "We'll need to host a big dinner for him in order to please him. That's your job." Gohan nodded as answer.

Vegeta placed his feet back in Gohan's lap. "Continue."

"I thought we were done." Gohan answered as he looked up.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Gohan frowned and continued to massage him. Vegeta eyed Gohan curiously. "What do you know?" He asked.

"Not much. You've already heard most of it." Gohan answered thoughtfully. "They don't know who stole the planet. The attack left no trails and the detectives don't know what happened. The planet just literally disappeared but it was not destroyed. A destroyed planet leaves its traces but there was nothing." Gohan thought back to the day he had been listening to the conversation. He did this more often. Only on Vegeta's ship though. Sometimes he got in trouble but Vegeta never punished him for it. Even though Vegeta often promised angry soldiers he would punish Gohan, the man only rewarded the young warrior afterwards.

"That's no help." Vegeta growled back. "This person is ruining me."

Gohan frowned. "I just don't understand. Who would want to defy someone like you? You're the strongest warrior in the universe." Gohan closed his mouth, thinking he was boosting Vegeta's ego too much like this.

He had been studying the strongest warriors and warlords the past few years. They usually did not notice him but he sometimes got in real trouble. The warriors knew they could not touch him but they also knew he was not allowed to hurt them while he was working. So, they threatened him with 'accidental death'. Accidents do happen every day in this world. For a while Gohan refused to continue his little spy role, considering it too much trouble. However, Vegeta was not one to accept a refusal, especially from Gohan, and he eventually confronted Gohan with his lack of information.

The half-saiyan answered truthfully which made Vegeta laugh at first. "I am worse than death, you know that." He had sneered, but he reassured Gohan that he would always make sure Gohan would not be send to his death.

"It's your responsibility to take care of the entertainment. You could ask the slaves to perform a musical song. You seem to be so fond of music." Vegeta sneered. "You keep making that terrible noise on that horrible thing you stole from that planet."

"It's a guitar. And it's not horrible. And I never told you to listen to it." Gohan answered annoyed.

"I should just destroy it." Vegeta muttered as he leaned back in his chair. The man eyed the guitar that was standing in the corner of the room. He did not have any use for it but he did not want Gohan to think he owned something. He kept it in his room so Gohan would have to ask for it every time he needed it.

Gohan closed his mouth. He would only jeopardize his own chances if he would say something now. "Is it easy to learn to make that noise?"'

"Learn how to play the guitar?" Gohan asked. Vegeta nodded as answer. "It depends, I guess. I found it very difficult but Bulma was very patient with me."

"Bulma? That woman I met on planet Namek?" Vegeta asked.

"You remember her?" Gohan looked up at him.

"Vaguely." Vegeta answered shortly. "Well," Vegeta pulled back his feet. "You've got a party to plan so I'd hurry if I were you. The party is in five days."

"Five days?" Gohan asked as he got up.

The corners of Vegeta's lips curled up. "As I said; hurry up." He answered.

Gohan groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. I can't plan a party in five days." He exclaimed.

"Do I look like I care?" Vegeta turned to his desk, dismissing Gohan in the process.

"Well, it's your party." Gohan muttered under his breath as he stalked away.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan barely blocked a punch from his opponent. He swallowed heavily. This fight was pushing him to his limits. He didn't like that. Tobney smirked at him, his bright blue eyes catching the hesitation on Gohan's face.

Gohan blocked the next punch by grabbing Tobney's fist and pulling it closer. He used his other hand to punch in Tobney's stomach. The half-saiyan smirked when Tobney gasped in pain, relishing this little victory. Tobney sent Gohan a curious glance which made Gohan pause for a moment. "What?"

Tobney rubbed over his stomach. "There was quite some force in that punch. Are you sure you're still on level 6?"

Gohan pulled back. He did not know he was using so much power. He was supposed to be a level 6 soldier whereas Tobney was a level 8 soldier.

Vegeta made these levels to make sure the right soldiers were sent to the right missions. Most soldiers were on level 1 or 2. Gohan was one of the few higher leveled warriors. Vegeta had placed himself on level 10. Comora was content on level 9, but nobody really knew where level 9 ended and level 10 started.

"During the last checkup they told me I was on the edge of 6 and 7." Gohan answered with a shrug.

"I'd say you were level 8." Tobney answered as he crossed his arms. "I really felt that."

"I wish." Gohan turned away from Tobney to hide his face. He hoped he was getting better at lying.

Tobney frowned. "Liar." He called. The boy jumped up and landed right in front of the younger warrior. Gohan stopped walking and looked up, his eyes slightly wider than usual at this blockade.

Tobney grabbed Gohan's chin, ignoring Gohan's growl and made him look into his eyes. "Get out of my mind." Gohan snarled at him. "I know how to block you. Don't even try it!"

"What are you doing?" Tobney asked as he narrowed his eyes. "Don't try to mess with Vegeta, Gohan. That's dangerous."

Gohan punched Tobney in the stomach harshly. The boy released the half-saiyan immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about." Gohan answered. "I might not be the strongest in the room but I am too strong to be treated like this."

"Do you think you can keep secrets in here? Vegeta keeps an eye on us twenty-four hours a day. Everyone thinks we have such a good life because we're the strongest warriors in his army but that only makes Vegeta more aware of us." Tobney complained, still rubbing over his stomach.

"Vegeta is not that paranoid." Gohan answered as he placed his hands on his hips. "He does not care about my power because he thinks I'm weak."

"That's where you're wrong." Tobney answered. "Vegeta keeps an eye on all of us but especially on you. You're a saiyan, just like him. He knows the strength jumps you can make after every fight. He is following your every move. When he finds out you're trying to hide your strength from him…"

"I'm not doing anything like that." Gohan yelled at him. "Why won't you believe me?"

"I don't want to punish you again!" Tobney screamed back. "I hate that. You know I do."

Gohan looked away while Tobney placed a hand on his forehead. The two took a few calming breaths. "Gohan. I'm worried about you." Tobney muttered. Gohan looked up at him. "You work day and night and keep dangerous secrets from Vegeta. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

Gohan smiled up at him. "Don't worry. I know what I can and cannot do. I'm not stupid enough to test Vegeta."

"Yes. You are. You've done it before." Tobney answered as he crossed his arms. "Do I need to remind you of the Yuna punishment?"

Gohan turned away from Tobney once more, now stepping back into the room. Tobney's hand landed on his shoulder. "Nobody knows what happened on that planet but we do know that you and Vegeta stayed there for four weeks." Tobney could feel Gohan tense. "You came back a changed boy. Timid, soft speaking. Something happened on that planet but you and Vegeta refuse to tell anyone."

Gohan's body went cold as he thought back to that horrible month. "It's none of your business." Gohan felt slight annoyed at how hoarse his voice was at the moment. The half-saiyan turned back to Tobney, forcing a smile on his own face. "I guess our training session is done now?" He asked.

Tobney nodded once. "Yeah. We'll continue this conversation later."

Gohan scoffed. "Yeah right." He answered sarcastically as he walked away.

Later that day Gohan was standing in Vegeta's office. A pile of uniforms and armors was lying near them. Vegeta handed an armor to Gohan and watched as he pulled it on. The armor was decorated with golden lines and a cape was connected to it. Vegeta shook his head, signing to Gohan to pull it off again.

"How many times do I have to do this?" Gohan asked annoyed.

"Don't speak when you're not spoken to." Vegeta answered shortly. "There will be important warlords attending this event so I want to make sure I look like I care about it."

"But you don't care about your appearance. Why pretend to be someone you're not?" Gohan asked as he crossed his arms. The boy had to uncross them again to accept the armor Vegeta pushed toward him.

"I want those people to support me when it gets to a war between my empire and the empire of whoever is trying to ruin me." Vegeta answered. "Why am I answering your questions? Be quiet." He snarled after that.

Gohan's lips curled up slightly as he pulled the armor on. The half-saiyan looked down to study it carefully. The black and red colors on the armor made it look very dark. It made Gohan wonder if that was Vegeta's purpose when choosing the colors of this armor.

Vegeta tilted his head. "This looks fine." He said thoughtfully. Gohan crossed his arms defiantly. "It's a shame your hair is darker than mine. I should do something about that."

"I like the differences between us." Gohan retorted quickly.

"Do you now?" Vegeta briefly glanced at him while motioning for Gohan to undress.

The half-saiyan pulled off the armor once more. He handed it to Vegeta before attempting to remove his uniform. "No, keep that on. I can find another one for myself." Vegeta said without looking up. Gohan's hands fell to his sides.

"Are you sure?" The young warrior asked as he watched Vegeta walk to the closet. The man disappeared in the walk-in closet only to emerge with a new armor seconds later.

"You know how uncertain I am of myself." Vegeta said sarcastically.

Gohan rolled his eyes and turned to the window as Vegeta was pulling on his new clothes. The half-saiyan reached the window, placing his hand on the window sill. Vegeta clasped the band of his armor to the body of it, eying Gohan with interest. The man crossed his arms as he stepped closer. "I often catch you looking out the window." He stated.

Gohan looked at Vegeta over his shoulder without answering. Vegeta stepped closer. "Homesick?"

"After three years?" Gohan answered as he looked out the window once more. "That would have been sad." His words came out as a sigh.

Vegeta placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. Gohan tensed slightly, wondering whether Vegeta was going to throw him through the room, but the only thing Vegeta did was squeeze his shoulder in an almost kind way. "Let's go." Vegeta said as he released the half-saiyan. Vegeta's hand disappeared and Gohan heard his footsteps move away, placing his hand on the place Vegeta's hand had just been.

Gohan wondered why Vegeta wanted to look good for their mission. It did not seem as important as some other appointments they had had in the past. Vegeta disagreed though.

They travelled to another ship. Walking through the dimly lit hallway, Gohan was quieter than usual. Vegeta was used to this kind of behavior when they went shopping. The half-saiyan opened the door for Vegeta, keeping his head down in respect; he knew all the official rules he had to oblige to. The man entered the dark room and sat down in the lonely chair. A small glass table was standing next to the soft looking chair. Gohan walked to the second table in the room on which refreshments were located. He did not have to ask what Vegeta wanted. The man had the tendency to order the same thing.

"You can grab something for yourself as well." Vegeta mentioned without looking back.

"Thank you." Gohan knew he was going to need a drink if he wanted to get through this ordeal.

The half-saiyan placed Vegeta's drink on the small table next to Vegeta's chair. The half-saiyan looked at the glass window in front of them. A dark room was seen through it. He knew that in a few minutes young girls would be pushed into that room to show their bodies and the men in the other rooms would bid on their favorite item. It made Gohan sick to his stomach. Since he was mainly referred to as an item too, he hated it when others were treated like that too.

"How many are you planning on buying?" Gohan asked curiously.

Vegeta shrugged. "I don't really have a number in mind." He answered shortly.

Gohan watched as the lights in the rooms dimmed. He leaned against the chair casually as he watched the first girl walk on the stage. "She's definitely underage." Gohan muttered.

Vegeta smirked as he let her pass. The second girl appeared on stage several minutes later. "I can see her ribs. Not a good sign." Gohan muttered.

"Be quiet." Vegeta answered shortly. "I don't need your advice on the girls I buy."

"Why do you do this?" Gohan asked tiredly.

"I need females to keep my soldiers happy. They're men and men have their needs." Vegeta answered as he pressed on the bid button. Gohan watched the number above the young girl's head rise.

"Is that a scar on her leg?" Gohan asked as he widened his eyes slightly.

"Quiet." Vegeta snarled at him.

"I don't understand why you're always taking me. You know I don't like these trips. Knowing that they will end up in slavery makes me feel terrible. Especially in the branch they are going to work in. Those poor girls." Gohan ranted as he watched a new girl walk on the stage.

"If I don't buy them someone else will." Vegeta answered shortly. "At least now you will be able to make sure they have a nice life."

Gohan shrugged. "I guess you're right." He muttered. "She's fine." He added.

Vegeta bought the girl and they watched as the lights dimmed again. A new girl walked on the stage. Her dark blue hair was treated with a sparkly hair spray which almost made it seem like a curtain of glitters was following her. Her black shorts were decorated with a silver thread and she was the only one wearing a tight shirt instead of a bikini. She smiled at all the windows but, she seemed slightly more dazed than the other participants.

Gohan's eyes were glued to her bright yellow eyes. They made him think of the cats on planet Earth… but then in a very nice way. Vegeta looked at the information on the computer screen. "She's the youngest of the bunch. Only sixteen years old." He said thoughtfully. "What do you think?" He asked curiously. "No comments?" The man glanced sideways, shifting slightly when he noticed Gohan's expression.

Vegeta was smart enough to recognize an expression like this one, especially on a young boy's face. "Boy?" Vegeta asked. Gohan did not respond so Vegeta tapped against his shoulder. Gohan flinched and looked at his master. "You're interested in her, aren't you?"

"No." Gohan answered immediately.

"I'm buying her. You're a soldier too, of course." Vegeta answered as he tapped on the bidding button. "She'll be your personal concubine."

Gohan could feel his cheeks heat up. "Please don't. The others won't let me forget that."

"Nonsense." Vegeta smirked as he continued to bid for the girl. "You're getting older. Coming of age soon. As one of the highest ranking soldiers you have to get your own toy."

"Vegeta. Come on." Gohan complained.

"Got her." Vegeta leaned back in his seat. He tilted his head at the half-saiyan. "Be thankful for this. I was the only one with a personal concubine until now." His amusement grew when he noticed Gohan's desperate expression. "Now why is my glass empty?" He asked annoyed before he turned back to the stage. Gohan groaned before he grabbed the glass to fill it again.

Once Vegeta was done buying everything he wanted, the two warriors made their way back to the ship. There a group of girls was already awaiting their arrival. Chained to each other with silver bonds, they watched apprehensively as Vegeta approached them.

The man eyed them all for a few seconds. "Good evening, ladies." He said slowly. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I bought you all to work for my army. Your days will be long and rough but nobody will physically hurt you. At least, you will not receive a beating from anyone's hand. That's all I can promise."

"My soldiers will escort you all to the place where you will be staying." A small group of soldiers moved forwards to lead them inside. Vegeta motioned for a soldier to come closer and whispered something in his ear. The man nodded and walked to the group of girls. He disappeared for a second only to reappear, holding the blue-haired girl by her arm. Gohan closed his eyes tiredly.

She ended up in front of Vegeta. Now Gohan noticed something he had not seen before. Her eyes were glassy. Vegeta placed a finger under her chin and she closed her eyes at the touch. "She's drugged." Vegeta stated. Gohan nodded. "Well, little princess. Meet your master." Vegeta pushed the young woman in Gohan's direction.

She tilted her head and eyed him dazedly. "You can lead her to her room. It's room 4550." Vegeta said as he crossed his arms. "Report back to me after you have brought her there. And lock the door or she will wander around the ship and I don't want that."

Gohan let out a tired sigh as he grabbed the hand the young girl was holding out. The gentle smile on her face made him feel a little sick, wondering how many men had already taken advantage of her drugged state.

He led her through the different hallways until he reached door number 4550. The name-tag on the door gave the slave number 1101. The half-saiyan frowned. "We'll have to change that." He muttered as he opened the door. He grabbed the girl's hand again and led her inside.

"So, this is your room." Gohan said as he watched her explore the room with her eyes. She immediately went for the bed and fell down there. It briefly crossed Gohan's mind that she had a better room than he did but he discarded the thought immediately. This girl probably had had a tougher life. "What's your name?" He asked curiously.

No answer.

Gohan stepped closer to look at her face. She was curled up on the bed now, her hands folded under her cheek, her legs pulled up and her eyes closed. Asleep. Gohan huffed before he turned to the door. He locked the door behind him.

Gohan reached Vegeta's office within several minutes, wondering why Vegeta wanted to speak to him. The man was sitting behind his desk, typing away on his computer. The half-saiyan knelt down in front of his desk.

"Get up." Vegeta said shortly. Gohan did as he was told and gave Vegeta an expectant look. The man told him to come back to his office straightaway. He must have had a reason for that and Gohan had always been curious.

"I have a temporary task for you." Vegeta started. "I would hire soldiers for this job but I'm afraid they'll have the wrong priorities."

"What is it?" Gohan asked curiously.

"I have a question first. Are there any slaves on our ship who have been trained in some sort of fighting art?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan scratched his head as his mind went over all the slaves he knew. "I guess there are a few. Why?"

"Who are they and how old are they?" Vegeta asked as if Gohan hadn't asked a question.

"Iopo, Kiaro and Sianne." Gohan answered. "The first two are boys and the last one is a girl. Their age is respectively thirteen, ten and sixteen."

"A sixteen year old girl?" Vegeta asked as he looked up.

"Don't even think about it. She's so sweet." Gohan answered.

"Bring them to me." Vegeta ordered. "Find them all and bring them to me." He continued.

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"Did I tell you to ask questions?" Vegeta asked annoyed.

"You can't even tell me why?" Gohan countered. "You're going to tell me anyway. Why not now?"

Vegeta was not even looking at him anymore. The man was now organizing a small bundle of papers, flipping through them in search of something. Gohan rolled his eyes before he turned away from his master. "I'll be back." He said as he walked to the door.

"Take your time." The sarcasm in Vegeta's voice was not hidden at all.

"I will." Gohan called over his shoulder. He knew he would eventually get in trouble for that comment but for now, he just did not care.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Yuck, finals, essays… I hate school right now.**

**Please review and help me through these difficult times :) **


	13. Chapter 13: Gohan's New Project

**Hey everyone. Here's the next chapter.**

**Thanks for the reviews! I'll try to update sooner next time!**

**Chapter 13. Gohan's New Project**

Gohan considered finding the other slaves an easy job. He expected to spend just a few minutes on it. The task turned out to be harder than he thought though. The three slaves all had different jobs and they were spread over the ship.

Iopo was cleaning the dining room with some others slaves. Gohan found him on his knees on the ground, rubbing the floor with a blue cloth. The young slave looked up when Gohan called his name. "Special assignment. You are to report to Vegeta immediately." Gohan told him when the boy was standing in front of him.

"Vegeta? Do I have to? He freaks me out." Iopo answered, biting his lip in such a way that Gohan could see his black teeth. That was something that scared him the first time. Iopo's body seemed to be the complete opposite from his own body. The boy's teeth and nails were black. His eyes were black as well, except for the blue irises and white pupils.

"He freaks out everyone." Gohan answered with a smirk. "Get going. I need to find the other two."

"Who?"

"You'll find out later. Go to Vegeta's office. Don't go in yet. Wait for me, okay?" Gohan made Iopo promise twice before he released him.

Several minutes later, Gohan was making his way through the hallway on the other side of the ship. The half-saiyan frowned when his scouter beeped. "Gohan here." He stated as he pressed on the button on the right side of the small machine.

"I want to talk to you. Meet me at my office." Comora's voice answered.

"I can't. I'm doing something for Vegeta. I think it's going to last all day." Gohan opened a door by typing in the master code.

"When are you available?" Comora asked.

"I really don't know. Can I call you back?" Gohan's eyes moved over the group of slaves that was working this room. He spotted his victim and cornered her. Sianna looked up, her bright yellow eyes twinkling when she noticed him.

"Oh, it's my favorite pet." She teased.

Gohan scoffed. "You won't like me as much once you've heard what I'm going to tell you." He answered as he crossed his arms. She looked at him expectantly.

"Vegeta wants to see you." Gohan turned away from her. "Follow me." He ignored the whispers going through the room, triggered by this message.

Sianna followed him. "Are you serious?" She asked. "Your sense of humor continues to surprise me so I'm just hoping you're joking this time as well." She added when Gohan gave her a confused glance.

"Nope. Not kidding. Vegeta has a special assignment for you." Gohan answered.

"And his favorite pet cannot fulfill this task?" Sianna was braiding her long brown hair as they walked.

Gohan could not help but smirk at her antics. He met Sianna when he had just arrived on this ship. She encouraged him to rebel against Vegeta from the beginning. Her situation was similar to his. Her planet was purged several years ago but she managed to escape and hide in the ship of the enemy. The problem was that the warrior team that purged her planet was one of Vegeta's teams so they had to tell him the good news immediately. Vegeta visited their ship for once and found the girl hiding under a desk.

Vegeta was so amused by the fact that she managed to trick all the warriors that he decided to keep her around. Sianna was not someone to be enslaved though. Even though she was only ten at the time, her fiery temper caught the attention of several elite warriors. Stories went around the ship about Sianna spitting in people's food right in front of them or breaking glasses or damaging furniture on purpose.

One thing that angered her was how Gohan was now obeying Vegeta's every order. Gohan had not told anyone about his deal with Vegeta so to others it seemed like Gohan had just given up, and Sianna would not let him forget that she disapproved of that.

"I just need to find Dioon." Gohan muttered.

"He's in the stables." Sianna answered shortly.

"Really?"

"Yes. Would I lie?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you're right. But I'm speaking the truth." Sianna nodded a few times to show how much she was telling the truth.

"Fine." Gohan halted. "Go to Vegeta's office but don't enter just yet. I'll meet you there."

Sianna saluted before she turned away from him to make the journey to Vegeta's office. Gohan took a deep breath. "Girls." He muttered as he went to find his last colleague.

Finding Dioon was easier and the young boy followed him without any complaints. They met up with the other two. "Okay. We're going in. Don't say anything unless Vegeta speaks to you. Kneel down and do not get up until he says you can." Gohan scratched his head thoughtfully. "Okay. Follow me." Gohan opened the door stepped in the room, turned sideways and extended his hand to show the others that they could walk inside.

Vegeta looked up and watched as the three slaves walked closer. Dioon and Iopo knelt down simultaneously but Sianna did not even attempt to do the same, until Gohan passed her and knocked against the back of her knees with his tail. She collapsed on the ground, hastily placing her hands on the floor to catch herself. Gohan smirked as he resumed his position next to Vegeta. Sianna sent him a glare but she only got a smug expression in return.

"Good day, little slaves." Vegeta said as he leaned on the desk with his elbows. "I called you in here for a reason. I have an offer for you which I hope you will accept."

"I decline." Sianna said as she got up. Gohan closed his eyes. "Can I be excused?"

"You refuse to do the job I have for you?" Vegeta asked as he eyed the young woman.

"Vegeta. Don't worry. I can talk to her. She will do it." Gohan interfered quickly.

"Shut up, pet. Look, _Lord_ Vegeta," She started sarcastically, "I don't care what kind of job you have for me. I don't want it."

Vegeta glanced at Gohan. The nickname did not go unnoticed. "I thought you were great friends with all the slaves?" He questioned.

"She is, as all the soldiers know, a special case." Gohan answered without losing eye-contact with her. She glared back at him. "We can't get along."

"No, you're just a weakling. You traded in your planet without hesitation. You put all the slaves here to shame." Sianna snarled back at him.

"She does not know about our deal?" Vegeta asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at the half-saiyan.

"Nobody knows." Gohan answered shortly.

"What deal?" Sianna asked, hitting away the hands from her colleagues, who were trying to pull her back in a kneeling position.

"There is one thing that you must learn, little warrior princess, which is that you shouldn't draw conclusions based on false evidence. The boy did not choose for servitude willingly. That's all I will say about it. Secondly, you have a bumpy track record and I would not recommend making me angry by defying my orders." Vegeta leaned on the desk with his elbows. "You're a tough one, I'll give you that. This is exactly why you would be perfect for the vacancy."

Sianna frowned at him. "I will mess up at every chance I get."

"I remember you." Vegeta said thoughtfully. "You've been in arguments with the Suta Team as well, haven't you?" He asked curiously. Sianna did not answer this question. "Yes… Hasn't it been a while since you've had a meeting with Comora?" Sianna paled visible, which made Gohan wonder what was going on. "Should I call him to make an appointment for you?"

"No!" Sianna said as she stretched out her arm when Vegeta's hand moved to the scouter on the desk. Vegeta raised both his eyebrows at her. "Please don't." Sianna continued.

Vegeta placed his elbows on the desk. "Let me make you a deal. You will do the job I have for you and you will do it well, and I'll make sure that neither the Suta Team nor any of the other soldiers can ever punish you again." Vegeta tilted his head as Sianna thought about this offer. "Do we have an agreement?"

Sianna's eyes moved to Gohan, who shrugged. She sighed and nodded. "Fine."

This made Gohan smile slightly, until Sianna sent him a heavy glare. The half-saiyan returned her glare, determined to make her even angrier.

"Maybe I bought you the wrong person." Vegeta said as he scribbled something down on his paper. The three young slaves exchanged confused glances but Gohan immediately knew what Vegeta was talking about.

"No." He said furiously. "I mean…. You did choose the wrong person, but she's the wrong person as well. I don't need that." His annoyance intensified when he started stuttering. The half-saiyan decided it was best to stay quiet. Vegeta's smirk did not improve his mood at all.

"Now that that's settled," Vegeta started while Gohan was rubbing over his forehead with his hand, "we can move on to the reason I asked you to come here." Vegeta's hands moved around his desk, organizing papers and writing things down. "I bought a group of women today. I need bodyguards for their protection. You are the only ones who know how to fight. The boy will teach you some basic techniques and he'll help you up to speed." Gohan glanced sideways. So, this was the assignment Vegeta had for him. Well, he did not mind some time off from Vegeta.

Vegeta turned to Gohan. "You are in charge of them. Show them everything they need to know. Give instructions to the new girls. Make sure everyone knows their place. There are four bodyguards near the doors. It's your job," now speaking to the slaves, "to make sure they don't lose focus." The three slaves nodded. "Good. Go to room 5.43. The boy will meet you there." Vegeta's attention was already caught by something on his computer.

Sianna, Iopo and Dioon exchanged glances and decided they were excused. Gohan gave Vegeta an expectant glance. "Is there something you want to say to me before I go?" Gohan questioned.

"Pay attention to the soldiers walking in and out." Vegeta answered. "I don't want them too distracted." Vegeta handed Gohan a paper. "This describes all your daily activities. Report back to me every evening at nine." Vegeta tapped on the desk with his finger as if he was thinking about something. The man reached into his desk and retrieved a small pass. "You can sleep in your own room while you're working on this project."

Gohan tried not to grin when he heard this message. "Thank you, sir." He answered politely. It would be best not to anger Vegeta at the moment. The man waved Gohan away and the half-saiyan nearly ran out the room. He hugged the pass as he walked. "This is so great." He whispered softly.

"What is?" Tobney appeared next to Gohan.

The half-saiyan froze. "Don't sneak up on me like that." He complained. "Jerk."

"You should work on your vigilance." Tobney answered as he frowned at the half-saiyan. "I'm not proud of you at the moment."

Gohan rolled his eyes before he showed the pass. "Look at this."

"You can sleep in your own room?" Tobney grinned at the half-saiyan. He knew how much that meant to Gohan.

"It's only for two weeks, but that's more than nothing, right?" Gohan answered as he shrugged. Being excited suddenly seemed childish.

"That's right. Always look on the bright side." Tobney tilted his head. "I'll take a look at the new girls." He continued.

"Shouldn't you be with your mistress?" Gohan sneered as he looked up.

"It's interesting how annoying you can be while I can destroy you with just one blast." Tobney said thoughtfully.

Gohan laughed. "You're overestimating your own strength." He answered. "Or you're underestimating mine."

"Right, but seriously, let the whole girl thing to. I get enough of that from the others." Tobney complained.

"It takes their mind off me." Gohan answered. "You can't visit them. They start working tomorrow." Gohan turned to Tobney. "Want to spar this afternoon?"

"Do you think you can take the time off?" Tobney asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Vegeta wants me to train every day. I don't think this is an exception. You can ask him if you want." Gohan typed in a code to open the door they were looking at.

"Yes. I'll do that. I need to talk to him anyway. He says he has an important message for me." Tobney rolled his eyes when Gohan smirked at him. "When you got here I really hoped Vegeta would forget about me."

"Partially, but he just wants you to know he's keeping an eye on you." Gohan answered with a shrug. "Have fun." The half-saiyan disappeared in the large room, leaving Tobney to watch the door close in front of him.

Gohan looked at the large group of women, gathered in the compact space. "May I have your attention?" He yelled over their heads.

Many girls looked in his direction. They gave smiles when Gohan sent them an uncertain grin. "Hello everyone." He started as the whispers died down. The three slaves, dressed in black suits, were kneeling next to the table on which Gohan was standing. He gathered his thoughts as his eyes moved around the room, taking in the comfy couches and chairs spread over the room and the large kitchen on the right side in which the girls would be able to make their own dinner if they wanted. The circumstances for women on Vegeta's ship used to be worse than this but Gohan, with a little help from Stirania and her sisters, asked Vegeta to change that, and this is what they eventually made happen.

The girls still had to sleep together in one room. Gohan was able to bring it down to twenty girls per room, which he still considered a lot, but it was better than nothing.

"My name is Gohan. I am here to help you all get settled down." The girls eyed him suspiciously. Gohan glanced at the documents Vegeta left for him. The half-saiyan frowned thoughtfully. "Okay, so, you're supposed to work all day. The more costumers you get, the better it is. You can't choose your client. He chooses you. When you leave with a client, you give your name and we will write it down. This is a rule we installed for your protection. We keep track of the time and if you're not back after three hours we will send someone out to search for you."

Iopo stepped closer and placed a small box on the table Gohan was standing on. The half-saiyan looked down while Iopo opened it. The young boy climbed on the table as well. "Hello everyone. These bracelets contain tracking systems. This way we will know where you are. We can even communicate through it if it is switched on."

Sianna was already handing bracelets out.

"So, any questions?"

"Why are you working here? You're all very young." A slightly older looking woman asked curiously.

"I'm not that young. And neither are they. We just look the part." Gohan answered shortly. "Do you have any questions about the job itself?"

"Will your master visit us some time?" A girl spoke up. "He's hot." Other girls whispered and giggled while Sianna rolled her eyes.

"Try living with him for a few years and you'll change your mind." Gohan answered as he placed a hand on his right hip. A hand landed on his shoulder and the half-saiyan froze.

"It's always nice to know how your employees talk about you behind your back." Vegeta's sneering voice answered. Gohan closed his eyes, cursing himself for not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Good morning," Vegeta started while tightening his grip on Gohan's shoulder, not missing how Gohan tensed, "as you've been told, these four are here to help you during your first few weeks. I want you all to do exactly what they say. They know what to do and when to do it. I will be checking in on you all once in a while. Do not hesitate to report misbehaving soldiers. That was all." Vegeta turned away from the girls, grabbing Gohan's shoulder and directing the young warrior off the table.

The girls started whispering and talking to each other while Gohan and Vegeta left the room. Vegeta released the half-saiyan, looking at him. Vegeta stared at him for a few seconds. Gohan scratched his head. "I'm sorry." He muttered as he looked down.

"Good. If you start talking trash about me behind my back, make sure I'm not there to hear it." Vegeta answered. "We'll continue this conversation at our session later today."

Gohan bit his lip. "Oh wait!" Gohan answered as he stretched out his arm. "I have a training session with Tobney."

Vegeta froze, turning to Gohan. "Fine. We'll train together." Vegeta answered with a shrug. "I bet Tobney will have a bone to pick with you as well."

Gohan pulled a face, turning back to the pleasure quarters. The young warrior moved into the room. Sianna raised an eyebrow at him when he returned. "Okay." Gohan said as he grabbed some files that were lying around on the table next to the door. "One of you has to sit at this table at all times. You can take turns but one person has to sit here to check the girls in and out. There are three hallways with twenty doors in each one which means that there can be sixty girls working at once. If a girl stays away longer than three hours you have to check up on her. Every soldier has to write down his name or her name. The male prostitutes are supposed to arrive tomorrow. The same rules apply to them. Pay attention to all the workers at all times. Try to make sure they do not leave these quarters without an escort, which is one of you guys."

The three slaves nodded and Gohan grabbed Sianna on her arm. "Hey, Gohan. What are you doing?" She complained as he dragged her away.

Gohan frowned at her. "If you let anyone escape or mess anything up at purpose, I swear I will persuade Vegeta into making you my personal assistant and I will make your life a living hell." Gohan threatened.

Sianna scoffed as she pulled back her arm. "Fine. I'll do my best." She answered. "You know, you might hate Vegeta, but you're becoming more and more like him every day." She snarled before she turned away from him and walked back to the other two slaves.

Gohan watched her go, frowning thoughtfully.

He spent the rest of the day working in the pleasure quarters, assigning girls to different rooms, creating a gentle atmosphere and making sure nobody was harmed.

The hours flew by and before he knew it, Gohan was on his way to the training room. The half-saiyan stretched his muscles to prepare himself for the harsh fight he was about to undergo. He was the first one to arrive; Tobney arrived a few minutes later. He approached Gohan cautiously. "Did you anger Vegeta?" he asked.

Gohan looked up. "Maybe." He answered shortly. Tobney gave him an exasperated glance. "Oh come on," Gohan said, "He gets angry at me when I breathe." Gohan answered annoyed.

Tobney shook his head in annoyance. "I give up on you." He answered shortly. Gohan rolled his eyes as he turned away from his comrade.

"You worry too much." Gohan commented as he sat down on the ground.

Tobney sat down near him, crossing his legs. "I heard you have a personal concubine." Tobney grinned when Gohan pulled a face. "So it's true?"

"Why did I ever think Vegeta would keep it a secret?" Gohan questioned out loud.

Tobney snickered. "If you did not want her then why did you accept her?"

"I didn't accept her." Gohan exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air. "You know Vegeta. He forced her on me."

"I was only kind enough to give her to you. You do not have any reason to interact with her." Vegeta entered the room, forcing the two warriors to get up and salute.

"You do take the liberty to tell everyone that she is here." Gohan answered as he lowered his arm.

"Do you know her name?" Vegeta pulled off his gloves, tossing them to the ground carelessly.

"She was asleep when I last saw her. She must have been exhausted." Gohan scratched his head.

Vegeta cracked his knuckles. "As you will be when I am done with you." The man sneered.

Gohan smirked as he got up. "Big words, but can you back them up with deeds?" Gohan countered.

"Is that a challenge?" Vegeta tilted his head.

"No, I wouldn't dare challenge you." Vegeta noticed the fire in Gohan's eyes as the young warrior spoke. The sarcasm was dripping off the half-breed's words.

Tobney rolled his eyes as he stretched the muscles in his legs. Vegeta glanced in his direction. "Tobney. During your latest assessment you were placed at level eight." He commented. Tobney nodded as answer. "That is very admirable. You've improved greatly over the years. I remember how weak you were when we first found you. Just a little runt."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Tobney answered as he crossed his arms.

"It's interesting to see how history repeats itself." Vegeta continued as his eyes moved to Gohan. The half-saiyan relaxed slightly, they weren't going to be fighting any time soon. "Both little runts when you got here but you've grown into the perfect little soldiers."

"What do you say we make it two against one, Tobney?" Gohan glanced at his comrade.

Tobney chuckled. "Watch out, Gohan. Vegeta could easily call treason on you."

"You know me too well." Vegeta slowly sank into a fighting stance. "It's time we started this little game."

The three warriors narrowed their eyes at each other. Gohan tensed when Vegeta moved but the man attacked Tobney. Gohan relaxed again. He watched the fight, his mind slowly wondering off to other matters.

He hoped the three slaves could manage the pleasure quarters without him for a while. He knew he was only helping them temporarily but he could not help but consider it his own little project. He wanted it to succeed. He wanted to show Vegeta he could take on a project like this, that Vegeta could relay more power in his hands.

Gohan gasped when a hand appeared in front of him. "Where the hell were you?" Vegeta asked annoyed. Gohan looked up at him. "How dare you not pay attention to our sparring match?"

"I..." Gohan widened his eyes when a small energy-ball grew in the palm of Vegeta's hand, which was still aimed at Gohan. "Come on, Vegeta." He pleaded.

"It is lord Vegeta for you, runt." Vegeta fired the blast without blinking. Tobney pulled a face as he watched Gohan crash into the wall.

"That's got to hurt." He muttered. He did not get much time to think about it though. Vegeta appeared in front of him a second later, punching the young warrior off his feet.

"It seems that both of you decided you could slack off during our training session. Maybe it is time you two go back to the training camp for a little while to work on your attitude." Vegeta threatened.

Gohan and Tobney both jumped up. "No sir. That will not be necessary." They said in unison.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Well. Now I know what will fire you guys up." He said thoughtfully. Gohan bit his lip. He did not want Vegeta to carry out his threat.

The young warrior launched toward his master, punching the man in the stomach harshly. Vegeta widened his eyes at the assault but almost immediately recovered and punched the half-saiyan away. Tobney appeared near his master, pulling his fist back to punch Vegeta. The older Saiyan moved back quickly but did not expect that Gohan would be waiting behind him. The young warrior pulled back a fist and buried it deeply in Vegeta's spine before he grabbed Vegeta's shoulder tightly. Tobney noticed Vegeta's difficult position, kicking the man in the stomach before punching him in the same place. Vegeta could only gasp and groan as Tobney pummeled him while Gohan was holding his arms.

Suddenly, Vegeta opened his eyes, powering up so quickly that Gohan and Tobney were pushed away. Gohan frowned at Vegeta's power, envy was not something he was used to but it sneaked up on him on times like this.

Vegeta smirked as he fell into a fighting stance. "That's more like it."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The following morning, Gohan woke up, stretching lazily. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He smiled as he eased into the soft sheets a little more. The young warrior turned his head sideways and grabbed his scouter to check on the time.

Gohan widened his eyes and jumped out the bed. "Damn it." He snarled. "I overslept. I overslept. I'm dead." He shot into his uniform. "He's going to kill me." The young warrior ran out his room and appeared in the pleasure quarters a second later.

"You're late."

"I know." Gohan looked around. "Did Vegeta come in yet?"

"Yes. He came to check on the girls. He gave them a little pep talk." Sianna leaned on the desk with her elbows. "He seemed very surprised that you weren't here." She continued as a smile appeared on her face. "Especially when he heard nobody had heard from you yet."

"What did he say?" Gohan asked hesitantly. He did not know whether he wanted to hear this answer or not.

Sianna looked up at him. "He told us not to wake you. You said you needed your sleep." She answered.

Gohan frowned. "Really? He did?"

Sianna shrugged. "That's what happens when you're Vegeta's lapdog." She answered while scribbling down something on her paper.

Gohan turned away from her, deciding to let that one go. "Hey," Sianna called out. "Vegeta told us to start training because he wants to get you back at his side as soon as possible." She added. "We also have to be open twenty-four hours a day."

Gohan turned around. "All day?" He repeated. "I wonder how he thinks we can pull that off." The half-saiyan yawned. "Oh well... I'll get some food in before I start training you guys. You just stay here for now and do you job, okay?"

Sianna saluted. "Anything for my master." She sneered.

Gohan bit back a counterattack, choosing to get something to eat first. The young warrior made his way to the kitchen where he quickly prepared and digested the food, before he made it back to the main hall.

He sought out Iopo to start the first lesson. In order to train the others while keeping the pleasure quarters running, Gohan had to give individual lessons to the three slaves.

"Have you fought before?" Gohan asked while he stretched his tired muscles.

"Yes, you know I have. That's why Vegeta chose us." Iopo answered shortly. "All you have to do is teach us some basic fighting moves and practice with us. We can do the rest."

"That's good." Gohan answered. "Well then. Let's just spar and I'll give you tips while we're at it." Iopo did not need any more encouragement. He attacked Gohan with enthusiasm, only to be shot down every time he tried to hit his friend.

One thing that Gohan learned that day was that he liked teaching. Passing on his knowledge to a willing mind was interestingly satisfying. Iopo was a grateful student and took everything Gohan said to heart. They trained for hours but Iopo was not tired at all. Small wounds and brushes were created on Iopo's fair skin but it did not bother him at all. "The perks of being a guard, right?" He joked lightly, when Gohan apologized for a bloody nose he caused.

"That does not mean I have to beat you up." Gohan answered, handing a tissue to the other slave. "I just don't really know my own strength, I guess."

"Don't worry about it." Iopo answered with a smile. "Are you ready to go again?"

"Always." Gohan watched Iopo run closer, almost in slow-motion for the strong warrior. Gohan easily anticipated the punch that Iopo tried to throw at him. He caught the fist, turning around faster than sound and threw the poor boy over his shoulder. Gohan watched Iopo land on the ground.

Iopo groaned miserably before he slowly got up again. Gohan suddenly had a flashback of the time he was training with Piccolo, years ago. Back then, could Piccolo see through Gohan's movements this easily as well? Was the four-year old Saiyan going in slow-motion for him as well? If that was the case, it was no wonder Piccolo could beat him up so easily every day.

Gohan did not try to avoid the next punch Iopo tried to land. The young warrior did not even have to step back to keep his balance, which he knew beforehand, but this did give Iopo the opportunity to land another punch. Gohan waited patiently until Iopo had exhausted himself before he let his body fall to the ground and swiped Iopo's feet from under him.

Iopo collapsed on the ground once more. He frowned up at Gohan. "Am I that easy to defeat?" He asked miserably.

"I am in the elite team." Gohan answered shortly. "Ninety percent of the soldiers are easy to defeat for me." The half-saiyan crossed his arms as he watched Iopo get up again.

Dende walked in the room, meeting Sianna at the door. "Good morning." He said cheerfully. "Do you know where Gohan is?"

Sianna pointed at the half-saiyan without saying anything else. Dende took this as permission to enter the room, doing this quickly. Sianna scared most of the younger slave boys.

"Hey Dende." Gohan greeted, watching his friend walk closer. "What's up?"

"I'm here to find out whether someone needs to be healed." Dende answered. "I already see my first victim." He knelt down next to Iopo to heal the young slave.

"You must be happy that you're not the one who is being healed for once." Dende teased as he looked up. "How long has it been since you visited me? Three days? You've broken your own record." The glow that was surrounding Iopo was a sign that the young boy was being healed.

Gohan sat down. "I have a feeling Vegeta is getting anxious about my strength. He's paying so much attention to my fighting style and my power level. It's very annoying. I feel like I have to watch myself all the time."

"Do you have something to hide?" Dende asked as he looked up. "Oh Gohan. Please be careful. Vegeta will hurt you if you try to overpower him." He added when he noticed Gohan's expression.

"Why does everyone think I have something to hide?" Gohan answered annoyed. "I don't. Yes, my strength is growing but I'm not about to overpower Vegeta. I still have a long way to go."

"I hope so." Dende answered. "I don't know if I could live here without you." He got up, brushing over his ragged shirt.

Gohan got up as well. "Don't worry." He gave Dende a reassuring smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Some similarities to the original story, but I changed several things as well. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please let me know what you think!**

**Next time on Slave Soldier**

**Chapter 14: The Price of a Life**

"_You remind me of someone else. Someone who used to look out that window and claim the same thing." _

"_If it makes my daughter happy, I would like to buy the boy from you."_

"_Will what? Will you kill me? Well I dare you to do just that, Vegeta! Put me out of my misery!"_

**See you next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Price of A Life

**Hey everyone. **

**Has anyone here watched the amazing anime series Shingeki No Kyojin.. The BEST series I have seen in a long while… Obsessed.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter 14. The Price of a Life**

Gohan stared at the white door in front of him. He mentally cursed Vegeta several times before he entered the code into the lock. The young warrior entered the room, searching for its occupant.

WOOSSHH.

A pillow made its way to Gohan's face. The half-saiyan moved up his hand to catch it. He tilted his head as he wondered where it came from but the answer soon made itself visible by throwing a vase in his direction.

"HEY!" Gohan snarled as he caught the vase. Another pillow made its way to his body. "Would you stop that?" Gohan yelled.

"Don't get any closer!" The girl glared at him with all her might. "I will throw everything I can get my hands on."

"And I will catch everything." Gohan answered shortly. "I am at least thirty times as fast as you are." He continued. "Don't bother trying to hurt me."

"Don't come any closer!" She extended her arms towards him in a universal stop sign.

Gohan stopped walking and turned away from her. She watched as he sat down on the large bed. The half-saiyan placed the plate he had with him on the dark red satin sheets.

The girl was standing near the couch, trapped between the small table and the comfy looking chair. Gohan attempted a smile at her. "I have breakfast for you." He mentioned.

"You disgust me." She snarled back at him.

"Why?" Gohan raised an eyebrow at her. "I haven't done anything."

"You haven't?" She scoffed. "No, why would you tell the truth? I would not know anyway."

"You don't have to believe me but I did not do anything. Once we bought you we brought you here and you slept here on your own. Nobody has touched or even looked at you." Gohan got up and sat down near the door. "But if you don't trust me there I will sit here."

The girl frowned at him. "My name is Gohan. What is yours?"

"I don't know my real name." She answered. "I was drugged a long time after I was kidnapped. I forgot. They called me Kishi."

"Kishi." Gohan repeated. "Do you want to keep that name or do you want to have a different one? You can start over here."

"Why can't I leave the room?" Kishi asked.

"You are currently living the private ship of lord Vegeta." Gohan answered. "There are many soldiers here every day. You might not be safe on your own."

"Then let me go." Kishi answered.

"That's not my decision to make." Gohan got up, noticed she tensed, and smiled once more. "Don't worry. I'll stay here. I don't want to hurt you."

Kishi neared the bed and studied the food. "Did you put anything in there?"

"If I wanted to keep you drugged I would have given you drugs while you were still sleeping, wouldn't I?" Gohan crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Don't worry. I for one can't stand what those men have done to you."

"Then why am I here?"

"Because I did not want you to be here." Gohan's tail wagged behind him. "My boss has a funny sense of humor. He knew I would not like it so he bought you to spite me."

"Your boss." Kishi grabbed the plate and eyed it.

"Lord Vegeta." Gohan answered with a nod. The half-saiyan watched as Kishi tasted the food on the plate. "Your boss too."

"Nobody is my boss." Kishi frowned at him. "I will be gone here soon." She looked at the windows.

Gohan scoffed as he looked down, a small smirk appearing on his face. "What's so funny?" Kishi asked annoyed.

Gohan looked up at her. "You remind me of someone else." He answered. "Someone who used to look out that window and claim the same thing." Gohan's eyes moved to the window.

"Who?" Kishi asked curiously. "What happened to that person?"

Gohan looked back at her. "He was faced with reality." The young warrior turned to the doorway. "If you need anything, just use this button to ring up Stirania. She'll give you anything you need, except for freedom. You cannot under any circumstances leave this room or let anyone in. Got it?"

Kishi raised an eyebrow. "I understand that you want me to do that but that does not mean I want to do it." She answered.

Gohan grinned at her. "I'll bet, but you won't succeed in escaping from this ship. Trust me." He closed the door behind him.

Typing in the code to lock the door, Gohan shook his head thoughtfully. The young girl seemed like the fiery type, which meant he'd have his hands full on her. The thought to smuggle her out when they reached the next planet crossed his mind, but he discarded it quickly. Vegeta would kill her if that happened.

"Gohan?"

The half-saiyan turned around and smiled. "Lizis! What are you doing here?"

The young girl returned his smile. "And here I was thinking you would be happy to see me." She teased, her golden eyes sparkling with amusement.

Lizis had been kidnapped at a young age and held hostage on dark planet for years. Her kidnappers held her there to blackmail her father, a powerful man on the intergalactic market, into everything they wanted him to do. That was until Lord Ro, Lizis' father, signed a contract with Vegeta.

As a peace offering, Vegeta sent Gohan and Tobney on a mission to retrieve Lizis, and after spending several months in the same small sized ship, Lizis, Gohan and Tobney had grown to like each other. Though Gohan always made sure not to be too friendly to girls his age, since now that he had turned thirteen, the others seemed to assume that every girl he was friends with was a potential lover.

"I'm very happy to see you, but how did you enter the ship? Did we land?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, you did." Lizis answered.

"I did not even notice." Gohan muttered, thinking he had been too preoccupied with his own problems, Kishi being one of them.

"What's in there?" Lizis asked curiously.

"A girl." Gohan muttered without thinking. He then noticed Lizis' raised eyebrows and hurried to explain: "Vegeta bought her for me to annoy me. Now I'm stuck with bringing her breakfast and dinner every day."

Lizis' expression changed but Gohan noticed it was not a positive change. "I'm making it worse, aren't I?" He asked, feeling dreadful.

"Tobney was right. You are terrible with girls." Lizis said thoughtfully.

The two friends decided to meet in Gohan's office. Lizis had to tell her father where she was, he did not like her walking around alone in a ship full of soldiers, and Gohan had to make some last minute changes to tidy up his office.

The two spent several pleasant hours catching up. Lizis leaned forward at some point, placing her empty cup on the table. "What would you say if you were given the opportunity to leave Vegeta's army?"

Gohan looked at her. "That's impossible." He answered.

"Is it?" Lizis asked. "My father offered to buy you free." She brushed her black hair over her shoulder.

"That is one of my most recurrent dreams, but Vegeta will not let me go. No matter how much money you offer." Gohan answered sadly. "Besides, if you do that it will only make him angry at me." He continued.

"Don't worry. I will take care of everything. He won't refuse the amount of money my father is willing to pay." Lizis got up. "After tonight's dinner, you will be a free man once again." She smiled at him.

Gohan watched her say goodbye and turn around to leave his office. "Wait! Lizis." He said, but she had already left the room. Gohan sat back down, wondering how this would work out. He hoped Vegeta would not be too angry when Lord Ro offered to buy him free. He hoped Vegeta would not blame him.

But why would he? In the past few years, men and women had often offered to buy Gohan either for his skills or because they liked him. Lord Ro would not be the first one. On the other hand, Gohan and Lizis were good friends and Vegeta could assume Gohan talked Lizis into it.

Gohan growled in annoyance. If Vegeta would pass up a lot of money to keep Gohan, everyone would know that Vegeta only did that to spite him. And everyone would see how hypocritical Vegeta really was.

As the time of the dinner came closer, Gohan got more and more worked up, getting angry at the idea Vegeta would say no to the offer just because he did not want to give Gohan up.

That evening, the company was seated around the table. Lord Ro, his daughter and the members of the Suta Team had joined Vegeta for a feast. The only member of the Suta Team that was not enjoying this dinner was the youngest member, who was running around, serving the others while his own stomach was rumbling loudly.

Gohan smiled at Lizis, earning a smile in return. "Hey rookie. Stop flirting and pour me a drink." Kaon's voice was barely above a whisper but he knew Gohan would hear him through all the noise. The half-saiyan glanced in his direction, sending him a glare. He could not retaliate now since he was working but he would get back to it later.

Tobney noticed Gohan was passing him and he reached out to tousle Gohan's hair briefly. The half-saiyan's tail tapped against Tobney's nose as a counter attack and the two warriors smiled at their friend's antics.

Lizis was whispering something to her father and the man nodded a few times. "Lord Vegeta." He started to gain the warrior's attention.

"I wanted to discuss an important matter with you." The man continued. "My daughter is quite good friends with your servant." Lord Ro nodded to Gohan, who raised both his eyebrows. "You know I disapprove of slavery." Vegeta nodded. Lord Ro was a powerful man who had the tendency to buy slaves free. He already had a hunch of what was coming. "If I it makes my daughter happy, I would like to buy the boy from you." At the other end of the table, Gohan closed his eyes tiredly.

"He is not for sale." Vegeta answered shortly. The members of the Suta Team were quiet by now, following the conversation with interest.

"Oh come on. Everyone has a price. We'll start at 5 million. What do you say?" Lord Ro pushed cheerfully.

Comora and Itoro exchanged amazed glances. That was a high price for just one slave. Gohan looked at Vegeta expectantly.

"Lord Ro," Vegeta started, "I will never sell him. There is no price..."

"10 million." Lord Ro. "My daughter would be very pleased."

"Ten million." Tobney whispered to Kaon, who gave him a very surprised expression as well.

Vegeta pursed his lips. "My apologies." He started, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Why not?" Everyone looked up at the half-saiyan as he spoke. "What's your problem? Why are you passing up 10 million credits? That's a fortune."

Vegeta glared at the half-saiyan. "Leave." He ordered. "Go to my office and stay there."

"Why? This is about me, isn't it?" Gohan snarled back. "Is torturing me really that important to you?" Gohan's grip on his glass was getting tighter and tighter. "Why won't you accept this amazing bid?" The glass shattered in his hold but the half-saiyan did not seem to notice it.

Vegeta's fists were clenched on the table. "Members of the Suta Team, would you be willing to escort the little warrior out the room?" He asked.

Kaon got up. "I'd be happy to." He said with a smirk.

But Gohan was not ready to leave at all. "Why won't you even consider it?" He snarled.

"I ordered you to leave, so go!" Vegeta snarled back.

"NO!" Gohan yelled as answer.

"LEAVE!" Vegeta bellowed as he jumped up. Gohan stepped back, partly because he was shocked by Vegeta's outburst and partly because he felt that desperation was pushing him to his limits. He did not want to lose control.

The half-saiyan whirled around and stalked out the room. Vegeta sat down, taking a few calming breaths before he addressed his guest. "My apologies." He repeated as Kaon sat down as well.

"He's got quite a temper. That's probably why my daughter likes him. She's got a temper as well." Lord Ro joked lightly. The situation was so tensed that none of the Suta team members even smiled at that.

"Gohan is not for sale." Vegeta answered. "It's a private matter. My answer won't change, no matter how much you offer." He continued. "Now to turn to important matters…"

A few hours later Gohan was sitting in Vegeta's office. He knew he was in trouble after that outburst. He hadn't had a fight like that with Vegeta in months, and in front of guests… Vegeta was going to be so angry.

He could feel their power levels before they entered the room. Great, an audience, he thought. The door opened to reveal a seething Vegeta. Gohan got up, clenching his fists as Vegeta's eyes locked onto him. The man appeared in front of Gohan, pulled back a hand, and backhanded him harshly.

Gohan placed a hand on his cheek, frowning up at his master. Vegeta pulled back a second fist. "How dare you!" He snarled as he tried to punch the half-saiyan. Gohan blocked this punch by lifting his arm. He blocked the next few punches as well, until Vegeta was almost foaming from the mouth.

"Do not block my punches, do you hear me!" Vegeta screamed at him.

"I'm not going to let you hurt me for this!" Gohan screamed back. "I'm done with being pushed around by you!"

"You will never disobey my orders in front of others again!" Vegeta yelled back. "I will not stand for this kind of behavior. The next time you do this I will…"

"Will what?" Gohan asked in a high raised voice. "Will you kill me? I dare you to do just that, Vegeta! Put me out of my misery!"

"Do not tempt me." Vegeta warned. "If you weren't such a valuable warrior I would have killed you right now. You sold yourself to me, remember?"

"A scared eleven year old boy made a reckless decision based on the horrors he had seen during that first mission." Gohan answered. "You took advantage of that moment of weakness and I have been holding my end of the bargain since then!" He clenched his fists tightly. "But you know as well as I do that once I get strong enough I will break free of this world!"

Tobney chewed on his lip. This argument was not going well.

"Will you now?" Vegeta's voice was suddenly calm and serious. Gohan was slightly taken aback by this change in behavior. Vegeta regarded Gohan for a few minutes, a silence falling in the large room. Gohan forced himself to stare right back at his master. Vegeta crossed his arms. "There is a bomb planted in your planet." He started. Gohan widened his eyes.

"What?" He asked. "You're lying."

"Am I? Comora, if you will." Vegeta said without looking over his shoulder.

They all looked at the strong warrior as he typed something in in the small machine he had already removed from his armor. It was his personal computer. Comora tossed the machine to Gohan, who caught it. The half-saiyan watched as a small video started. He could see how a warrior held up a small black device, and planted it on a strange silver construction. A pointy end was positioned in the ground, ready to go. He watched as the construction started to drill its way into the ground until it had gone from sight.

"They planted a bomb in the center of your planet." Comora said. "It's protected by a super shield, able to withstand massive amounts of heat."

"But once I press the button, the shield will disappear and the heat of the center of the planet will make it explode." Vegeta smirked at the half-saiyan. "Goodbye planet."

Gohan's knees buckled and he fell to the ground without realizing it. All this time he'd been counting on the fact that someday he would be strong enough to defeat Vegeta. He would be able to break free of the organization and go back to planet earth. All his ideas, dreams and plans... All gone.

Tobney sighed as he looked down. "You may think you've got real plans of getting out, but I am always one step ahead of you." Vegeta continued, crossing his arms. The man stepped closer, grabbed the machine from Gohan's hands, and tossed it back to Comora, who caught it without trouble. "Kaon, Itoro." He started. "Grab him."

The two warriors were standing next to Gohan in a flash, grabbing both his arms and pulling him up again. Gohan looked up at his boss, a hint of fear crawling onto his face. Vegeta cracked his knuckles. "It does not matter how strong you get. I will always be able to press the button faster than you will be able to take it from me. From now on, you will obey my orders or I my hand might slip to the start button of that bomb. Do you understand me?"

Gohan was not listening at first, his mind still going over all the lost opportunities. Vegeta pushed Gohan's face up by placing his fingers under Gohan's chin. "Do you understand me?" he repeated.

"Yes sir." Gohan spat out at him.

"Good." Vegeta pulled back a fist and pushed it into Gohan's stomach. Ignoring Gohan's gasp of pain, Vegeta continued by handing out several more punches to Gohan's face and stomach, hitting places he had not hit before.

Tobney turned away from the warriors and walked back into the hallway. Suna noticed his retreat and followed him. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"I don't need to see this." Tobney answered shortly.

Suna crossed his arms. "You've warmed up to that boy, haven't you?" He asked curiously.

Tobney sighed. "Just because I don't enjoy watching him get a beating, doesn't mean I warmed up to him." He snarled back.

Suna shrugged as a smile crept on his face. "I'm sorry. No need to get so defensive." He answered.

"I'm not being..." Tobney closed his mouth, thinking he was being defensive again. They walked in silence for a while. "Will it ever get better?"

"What?"

"Worrying for your friends?" Tobney asked.

Suna chuckled. "It's something you will never get rid of. It will never get better. I have my own set of children but, let me tell you, I still worry an awful lot when Vegeta sends you out on a tough mission."

A small smile appeared on Tobney's face when he realized what the man was saying. Suna reached out and tousled Tobney's hair. "Let's go back. You might not like seeing him like that but he will need you to clean him up once Vegeta is done with him."

"You're right. You always are." Tobney answered. "You should do something about that."

"It's a fault I cannot change." Suna answered with a shrug.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

A few hours later, Vegeta was pacing around in his office. Comora entered the room, kneeling down when Vegeta looked in his direction.

"Good evening, lord Vegeta." Comora started as he got up.

"Why are you here?" Vegeta asked. "I did not send for you."

"You looked like you needed to talk." Comora answered with a shrug.

Vegeta fell down on his chair. Comora walked closer, taking a seat in the chair on the other side of Vegeta's desk. He eyed the Saiyan warrior carefully. "He's fine." He said. "Tobney is a great caretaker."

"Do I look like I care?" Vegeta answered. Comora shrugged once. "That boy bounces back from anything." Vegeta continued. The man sighed heavily, earning a questioning glance from his comrade.

"Sometimes I just do not know what to do with him." Vegeta muttered. "He gets under my skin so easily."

"Yes. He's a vindictive little brat. Reminds me of someone I knew at that age." Comora gave Vegeta an innocent smile.

"I knew recruiting him would be difficult. He is probably a lot like how I was when I was young. My relationship with Freeza was difficult as well. I hated working for him and I started plotting my revenge on him when I was very young, which is why I caught the signs in Gohan's behavior so easily." Vegeta leaned back in his seat. "When I travelled to Earth to recruit him, I decided I would not treat Gohan like Freeza treated me. I wanted him to work for me because he respects me, not because I hold his planet over his head."

Vegeta frowned. "I knew I would have to force him at first but I was hoping he would change his mind over the years. Turns out he is still as rebellious as he was in the beginning."

"I do think you are overreacting. This is not the biggest fight you have ever had." Comora answered. "Secondly, I don't think Gohan will ever commit treason. He seems like a very loyal person, and even though he may disagree with your practices, he made you a promise, and that boy keeps his promise." Comora smirked as he studied the warrior. "You and Freeza were never as close as you and Gohan are. I did not notice everything that was going on while I was working for Freeza, but I, like everyone, knew how much hatred there was between you and Freeza."

"You and Gohan respect each other. It's pretty easy for me to see." Comora continued. "You both earned each other's respect long before he started working for you. I don't know what happened on Namek but fighting alongside each other creates a bond. Go easy on the boy, will you. The only reason he lashed out is because he is overworked and nobody is giving him credit for what he does."

Vegeta considered Comora's words. "And how do you suggest I give him credit?" He asked.

"Well, firstly; let him sleep in his own room." Comora answered. "He's been sleeping in that closet for too long. He is turning fourteen soon. He needs privacy. That small gesture will make him happy, trust me." Comora said, thinking back to the day Gohan had enthusiastically told him about his new office.

Vegeta frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe I will." Vegeta muttered. "He's becoming too old to keep in the room anyway. Might start looking at Stirania in a different way…"

Comora chuckled. "You gave him something for that didn't you?"

Vegeta snickered. "He will thank me some day. I have to admit I mainly did it to spite him though."

While Vegeta and Comora were snickering about Gohan's antics, said half-saiyan was sitting in his small room again. Stirania had ushered Gohan to his closet-sized room, saying she needed private time with Vegeta. The young warrior was leaning on the windowsill with his hands, staring out at the darkness around the ship.

Even though his body had healed, he still felt exhausted mentally. His tail lashed behind him lazily as his mind went over the events of the long day. The young warrior glanced sideways when he heard the door to his room open. Vegeta entered the room, stepping closer to the half-saiyan.

Gohan gave a short bow in recognition. Vegeta tilted his head. "Follow me." He said before he turned around and left the room without another word. Gohan grabbed his boots and followed the warrior.

"Where are we going?" Gohan asked curiously. Vegeta glanced in his direction but did not answer the question. "You're not answering me?"

Vegeta smirked as he thought that he would never have asked Freeza these questions in this way. The man stopped in front of Gohan's often temporary bedroom. The man opened the door and stepped inside, Gohan following him. The half-saiyan gave him a confused glance. "This room is yours from now on. You can sleep here every day of the week for the rest of your servitude."

"Really?" Gohan asked. "I don't have to go back to that closet again?"

Vegeta noticed the shine in Gohan's eyes and immediately knew Comora had been right; Gohan was very happy with this development. Vegeta took a deep breath. "Get some sleep. Report at my office at nine tomorrow." Vegeta turned away from the half-saiyan.

Gohan turned around as well. "Vegeta!" He said as the warrior reached the door. "Thank you."

Vegeta did not look back at him. "You deserve it." He answered before he walked out the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Good morning, kid million." Suno greeted as Gohan entered the room.

Gohan rolled his eyes while he walked to the other desk. "Get over it." He snarled back.

"Hey it's not every day that we get a visitor who is worth ten million credits." Comora teased as he gathered the papers on his desk.

Itoro leaned on the desk at which Gohan was seated, eying the half-saiyan. "Hey guys. If we would cut off a finger. How much do you think we would get for it?" He asked the others.

"You're thinking way too small." Tobney's hand curled into Gohan's long hair, pulling him down and forcing him to lean back. "We would get at least one million for a large chunk of hair."

"Damn it." Gohan cursed as he moved his hand up, trying to punch Tobney. The older warrior, however, expected this movement and pulled on Gohan's hair again, pushing against the footing of the chair, forcing it off its footing, making Gohan fall back.

The half-saiyan hit his head on the ground, groaning in pain. Tobney, standing on the other side of the room by now, watched him carefully. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"You are going to get it." Gohan muttered as he got up, rubbing over his head. Tobney, noticing that Gohan was indeed fine, grinned at his friend.

"You'll have to catch me first." He sneered. "Don't let the million credit bills hold you back."

The other members of the Suta Team chuckled as Gohan growled manically, charging at his comrade.

Well, Gohan wanted to, but Comora grabbed the back of his uniform. "Calm down, monkey boy." He said calmly as he pulled Gohan back a few steps. "I want to start the meeting."

Gohan turned to him once he released the young warrior. "If Vegeta hears that you called me that he will torture and kill you." He said with a frown. "He hates that name."

"Good thing I'm saying it to you." Comora answered with a smirk. "You're not that scary." Tapping against Gohan's cheek with his finger before he turned back to his own desk. There Comora started to explain their new mission.

The half-saiyan sat down at his own desk, sticking out his tongue to Tobney when the other warrior winked at him. Gohan leaned back in his seat and turned his attention to Comora.

"Well. This won't be one of our most memorable missions. It will probably be pretty boring." Comora started. "Planet Zoo on the right corner of the Western Quatrain. The problem is that we don't know what kind of warriors we will find there. That is why this mission is ours."

"So it might just be nothing?" Itoro asked annoyed.

"Can't they send a less valuable team to find out if there are strong warriors on the planet?" Suno added. "Send us on an interesting mission."

"Are we getting a little spoiled?" Gohan sneered.

Itoro looked back at him. "Hey, we can't all be worth a million credits. Some of us get paid for the difficulty of the mission."

"Vegeta will pay us the standard fee." Comora answered. "I told him some of us are experiencing financial difficulties. No worries."

"Oh I'm not worried. Staying near Kid Million will probably make me some money." Itoro answered innocently.

Gohan placed a hand on his forehead, sighing tiredly.

Comora smiled as he leaned back against his desk. "We leave in three days at 600 hour. Be ready." He said. "You're dismissed."

Not in a hurry to get back to his work, Gohan turned to Tobney. "Still walking I see. I should do something about that." He threatened.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Tobney sneered as he crossed his arms.

"Be careful, Tobney. He's worth a lot more than you are." Itoro teased as he leaned back in his seat.

Gohan growled. "Okay. Guys, let it go. I did not ask for that to happen." He answered annoyed.

"No, but it did happened." Itoro answered. "And we'll keep reminding you of that for at least three or four more months."

"But I did not do anything to deserve that kind of treatment." Gohan complained tiredly.

"You poor thing." Tobney sneered as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Well well… If my enemies would see my elite team sitting around like little kittens like this they would laugh at my face." Vegeta entered the room.

"Until we show them what we're made of." Tobney cracked his knuckles.

"We will definitely have the last laugh." Itoro added as he nodded.

"Gohan. I need to talk to you in my office." Vegeta turned away from them and left the room.

Gohan got up. "That's my cue. I'll see you tomorrow for your next beating." He added to Tobney.

Tobney laughed. "You wish!" He yelled.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**THE END.. No, just joking… **

**Next chapter will probably be up in three weeks. **

**Next time on Slave Soldier**

_"Those two have really angered Comora this time, huh?"_

"_Welcome to level 9, little soldier. Not even Tobney would have been able to catch that one." _

"_Tobney. You're hurting me."_

"_Have you ever thought of asking Vegeta if you can visit your planet?"_

"_The girl is on her way to your ship. I don't have any use for her on my ship and therefore I will give her to you. You may do as you please with her. I don't care. She's not my concern anymore."_

"_Sianna, I want you to learn how to fly. And Gohan is going to teach you."_

"_How strong are you?"_

**Chapter 15: The Truth is Catching Up**

**See you next week!**


	15. Chapter 15: Keeping Secrets is Not Easy

**Hey guys! Long time no see~ **

**I just wanted to apologize for the lack of chapters. I think I haven't update this story in months.. **

**The reason why I'm updating this is because someone has recently discovered my story and was posting reviews on it, and that sort of made me look at my stories, and think about my stories and then the inspiration sort of came back to me. ^^ **

**I still like writing. I've actually been rping a lot lately, which might have helped me get back to writing fanfiction. I realized that I LOVE rping and writing fanfiction is pretty much the same. So I'm back to doing that!**

**I hope you guys aren't angry with me. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me? **

**Or just read the chapter ;) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz or any of the characters in this series. (Man, it's been a while since I've written that!)**

**Chapter 15. **

"Here." A large hand moved to the center of the page, pointing to a certain number. "This one is wrong. Try using these numbers." The hand moved, two fingers extending separately to point to two different figures. "I'm pretty sure that that will work."

Gohan looked up. "These two?" His eyes moved back to the page. "But… I don't get it. I have been shuffling, adding and subtracting numbers all day long and I still haven't found the right answer."

"Don't be such a drama queen." Vegeta leaned back on his seat. "We haven't even been working for two hours."

"Okay. I have been working on this stupid problem for two hours and I still haven't solved it." Gohan placed his pen on the table and frowned at his paper, as if the latter was responsible for his failure.

"That's because you're stupid." Vegeta deadpanned.

"If I am so stupid, then why do you bother teaching me this?"

Vegeta leaned forward and placed his lower arms on the desk. "I don't want a stupid assistant. Is that too much to ask?"

"So you teach me how to calculate the profits of a planet?" Gohan studied his master, frowning a little, worry shining in his eyes. "You're teaching me to do your job.. Why?"

Vegeta pushed his body up, the metal legs of the chair scraping against the ground, his white boots moving away from the desk. "Just in case…"

Gohan watched his master walk to the window. "Just in case… what?" He asked, slowly getting up too.

Vegeta's white boots stopped right in front of the windows. His eyes followed some of the stars that shot passed their ship. "Just in case I get sick."

"Saiyans don't get sick." Gohan walked closer cautiously. He was pushing it. He knew that much, but he was curious. Vegeta was behaving suspicious lately, not like himself.

"I thought you were stupid."

Gohan looked sideways and widened his eyes slightly when he realized that Vegeta was smirking a little. The half-saiyan didn't really know what to answer to this so he chose for silence.

"I won't be around forever, boy. So I want someone to be here when I…"

"Die?" Gohan wasn't looking at him. He knew that the job they had was very dangerous and very difficult. It also brought a lot of enemies, and Vegeta was the one who was targeted the most. Someday, there will be someone who is stronger than Vegeta is, and when that happens, Gohan will have to take over. "You're training me to become your successor?"

Vegeta turned to him fully now. The smirk was very visible on his face. "Pretentious are we? You still have a long way to go if you're planning on becoming my successor." He playfully tousled Gohan's hair before he walked to the desk again.

Gohan looked down for a moment. The snide comment was to be expected. That's what Vegeta did whenever Gohan showed any interest in moving to a higher position. No, that's not what bothered Gohan right now. The problem was, that Vegeta didn't flat-out deny Gohan's claim.

The half-saiyan looked up when Vegeta gave an impatient growl. "Yes, sir." He said automatically. Walking back to the desk and sitting down, he got to work, only looking up whenever Vegeta instructed him.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Comora. He was one of the strongest soldiers of the entire universe. He was a righteous warrior, who wouldn't hand out punishments without a valid reason. There were a lot of people who would rather see him ruling the universe in Vegeta's place.

However, Comora could get angry, and once he was angry, he was really angry.

"One-hundred ninety-eight. One-hundred ninety-nine. Two-hundred." Comora's barks sounded loud in the large room, his voice echoing slightly. The man crossed his arms over each other as he glared at the two young warriors.

Tobney and Gohan sank through their arms when Comora reached the 200. The man scoffed. "Look at you two. Can't even do two-hundred push-ups?" He sneered as he towered over the two warriors.

Gohan let out a breath. "He's saying that like it's the first thing we've done.." He mutters to Tobney. His friend shot him a glare. Be quiet. They didn't want to anger Comora even more.

Comora caught Gohan's moving lips though. The man narrowed his eyes. "So, you two have time enough to talk, huh?" He yelled at them. "That means you're not tired enough." Tobney and Gohan looked up at him. They didn't really know what to say. Silence would probably be best option. Comora stepped back to give them some room. "Get up, brats."

The three warriors weren't the only ones in the room. Suno, Itoro and Kaon were watching the scene with interest and some amusement.

Suno was leaning on the practice railing with his arms. "What did they do this time?" He asked the others, glancing at them.

Itoro snickered. "They don't have to do much to anger Comora, especially Gohan." He answered. "I don't know what they did now."

Kaon was holding onto the practice railing as he leaned back, tensing his muscles to keep himself upright. "I think they pulled a prank on Comora a couple of week ago." He stated, looking over at his two older comrades. "This is just payback for that. Comora's the boss on this ship. He can't do anything when Tobney and Gohan are on the mother ship. So he's giving them their punishment right now." He seemed rather amused with the situation. It was always fun to see Gohan and Tobney get punished, especially their reaction afterwards was very interesting to see.

"One, two. One, two." Comora instructed as the two warriors pushed their bodies up again and again.

Deciding that it's been enough, Gohan placed one of his feet on the ground and leaned on his knee with his elbow. "You know, you used to be a lot more fun to be around. Can't take a joke anymore?" Comora was overreacting and everyone knew it.

Comora was standing in front of him before Gohan could even blink. A large hand grabbed hold of the hair on the back of his head and pulled his head back, forcing him to look up. "I think someone here forgot his place." Comora snarled as he leaned in closer, his nose nearly touching Gohan's. The half-saiyan made a face. Comora was never one to brush his teeth daily so being this close to the man's mouth wasn't pleasant. "I am faster and stronger than you and therefore the leader of this squad, got it?"

"Fine." Gohan snarled back. _'As long as you get your stinky breath out of my face.' _He thought miserably, but there's no way he will say that out loud. Comora was angry enough.

Comora tightened his grip on Gohan's hair. "Who is in charge of this ship?" He barked in Gohan's face.

"You are." Gohan snarled back. Tobney was glancing sideways. He was still on the ground on all-fours, wondering if he should help but deciding not to. Gohan was not in that much trouble just yet.

"And who will lick the ground when I tell him to do so?"

"I'm sorry, but I will never.." Comora pushed Gohan's head down until it collided with the ground harshly. The half-saiyan groaned. "Fine. I will." He snarled, closing his eyes. The ground was a little too close for comfort.

"Good." Comora released Gohan and got up. The half-saiyan placed a hand on his forehead as he slowly sat up. "Remember that, brats." Comora snarled as he walked to the doorway.

Gohan waited until Comora left the room before he got up fully. "What is wrong with that guy? He lost his sense of humor when he got rid of his wife." The half-saiyan wiped some blood off his face. Apparently, his nose started bleeding after it collided with the ground.

"That's rude, Gohan." Tobney had gotten up too. The man rolled his shoulders a few times and stretched the aching muscles in his arms. "Comora has been in a bad mood lately but he doesn't deserve that."

"What did you do?" Gohan and Tobney looked up when they heard Suno's voice. The other three soldiers were coming closer now that it was safe.

"Nothing!" Gohan exclaimed, spreading his arms. His comrades gave his wary glances. "Okay, fine. We might have pulled a little prank on him but it was nothing terrible."

Suno shook his head. "You've been causing trouble since you got here." He sighed tiredly. Before Gohan arrived, Comora getting angry was something that didn't happen very often, but now they're pretty much used to hearing Comora's angry voice.

"But it has made your life so much more interesting, right?" Gohan tilted his head sideways and smiled innocently. He was not sorry at all.

Suno snorted but did not say anything else about the matter. Tobney smacked on Gohan's back, earning a frown from the half-saiyan, who was about to say something when his scouter beeped loudly. Gohan pressed on the purple button to receive the call.

"Rookie." Comora's voice sounded through his scouter. "Come here and help me with the report for this mission."

"Rookie?" Gohan repeated, frowning a little. "Honestly Comora, nobody has called me that since.."

"I don't hear you walking!" The voice snarled back, sounding very impatient. "You two have too much time on your hands and it's my job to do something about that. Now get your ass over here!"

"Fine. I'll be right there." Gohan's voice sounded tired as he disconnected the call. "He thinks we cannot pull pranks on him when we're busy." His dark eyes met Tobney's white ones.

Tobney laughed as Gohan turned around and started for the door. "Let's prove him wrong!" Tobney called after him.

Gohan waved while he was walking. He might as well hurry up now. No reason to make Comora even more angry.

A few hours later, Gohan was sitting in Comora's office. His finger was tapping on the keyboard as he stared at the blank screen. What was wrong with his mind these days? He could not focus on his task lately.

What Gohan did not know was that Comora had been staring at him for the last ten minutes. The man knew that something was wrong with Gohan but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The boy seemed distracted, working less hard, or at least being less productive and getting less done. The boy never complained or asked for time off though. Then again, Vegeta was not very lenient when it came to people asking time off.

Finally, Gohan realized that someone was staring at him. He glanced sideways, meeting Comora's eyes. "Something wrong?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"Have you finished your report?" Comora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm almost done. I still have some time before I have to hand it in." Gohan leaned on the desk with his elbows and looked at the screen again. He wasn't lying.. He still had some time to hand it in. The first half of his answer might be less true though.

"You seem worried."

"Vegeta doesn't like it when things are handed in too late." The half-saiyan sighed. "I'm just a little bit worried, I guess."

Comora grabbed his mug and took a sip from his drink. "You're very motivated. You don't want to let Vegeta down." Gohan snorted in response to this and Comora raised his eyebrows. "You disagree."

"You know what happened." Gohan's hands found their way to the keyboard and he started typing. Everything was better than this interrogation.

"Still.. You're really working your ass off."

"There's no reason to not do my best." Gohan's eyes move to Comora. "I don't want to be useless so I work hard to get better at what I do. Sue me."

"Still you refuse to call Lord Vegeta by his title." Comora mused out loud, leaning back on his seat.

"He doesn't deserve the title." Gohan replied, shrugging casually. He realized that this was a dangerous thing to say. Vegeta did not like criticism and he tended to permanently shut badmouthing soldiers up. The half-saiyan pursed his lips for a moment and continued typing.

"I wouldn't say that too loud."

"Don't worry. He knows my opinion about this." Gohan's eyes meet Comora's eyes for a moment and a small smirk appeared on Gohan's face. It was one of those times that Comora realized how much closer Gohan and Vegeta had grown over the years.

"Honestly? Not even I can say the things you say to him." They seemed to have inside jokes, Vegeta nudging Gohan without a reason or Gohan sending a sly glance to his boss, making Comora wonder what he said that was so funny. Also, they don't really spend their time fighting anymore. That seems to be over. They get along a lot better. Then again, he had thought that before and then they would suddenly get in a massive fight.

Gohan placed his elbows on the desk and leaned on his fingers with his chin. "Don't forget that I _am_ his second in command." The half-saiyan admitted as if this was a great secret. Comora liked to snoop and Gohan knew that. The man was very interested in his relationship with Vegeta, observing their conversations whenever he could and interrogating Gohan on occasion. The half-saiyan never mentioned this to Vegeta because the older Saiyan would not like to hear that Gohan was talking about Vegeta behind his back.

Comora chuckled. "For now. I don't know what will happen once you get too strong for his taste." He joked.

The half-saiyan's smirk disappeared and he looked back to his screen. That's a very good question.. Comora noticed the change in Gohan's expression. "Concerned?" He questioned, wondering if Gohan was indeed concerned about his future, or lack thereof.

Blinking, Gohan shook his head. "Why would I be concerned? I'm nowhere near Vegeta's level." He answered, his voice almost sounding robotic, like he's used to giving this answer.

"Hmmm…" Comora mused out loud as he grabbed his mug and took a sip. The man was about to place the mug back on the table but changed his mind.

He studied Gohan for a moment, making sure the half-saiyan was not looking in his direction before pulling his arm back and throwing the mug right to Gohan's head. There was no way that Comora was going to miss on such a close range. The man was trained too well for that. Also, Gohan was supposed to be too weak to stop it. That was a level eight throw, maybe even level nine. The half-saiyan was supposed to be at level 7.

The mug shot towards the half-saiyan, going straight for the vulnerable area next to his eyes. Comora narrowed his eyes, wanting to catch the moment of impact, see Gohan's response when the mug hit him. The problem was that the mug never actually hit the half-saiyan. Gohan moved up his hand, blocking the mug and catching it lazily.

"Are you going to throw stuff around now? That's so childish." Gohan complained, frowning at the older soldier as he lowered the mug.

"You caught that mug.." Comora stated thoughtfully, rubbing over his chin with his hand.

Gohan placed the mug on the table. "A splendid observation. Now I know why Vegeta has so much faith in you." He said sarcastically as his eyes returned to his computer screen.

"I threw that mug quite hard. Put quite some power into that…"

"Apparently not."

"What level are you?" Comora asked curiously. "I know you're telling everyone you're level 7 but a level 7 would not have been able to catch that one. Not even Tobney can catch that one. I think you've either made a massive power level jump from 7 to 9 in only a couple of days or you're lying to everyone."

"I'm not lying to everyone." Gohan snarled back. "Humans can exceed their own limits when faced with real danger." He casually tapped against the mug with his finger.

"That would not have killed you. It didn't pose a threat at all." He leaned on his desk with his elbows and studied the half-saiyan in silence. Gohan pretended not to notice him as he continued typing, his eyes trained on the computer.

Comora pressed on the button on his scouter. "Itoro, Kaon, Tobney. Meet me at the training room. I think we need to assess Gohan's powerlevel once more." He stated, eying Gohan to catch his reaction.

The man felt satisfaction when Gohan's fingers froze for a moment and his brown fuzzy tail tightened around his waist. The half-saiyan glanced in Comora's direction. "You're overreacting."

"Am I? And if you really are as weak as you say you are, you have nothing to fear, right?" Comora leaned forward, smirking now. "So explain to me.. Why you are looking so terrified."

Gohan looked away, choosing to look at the screen again. Comora stretched his arms before getting up with a moan. The man stretched the rest of his body before moving to the doorway. "Let's go, little Saiyan." He motioned for Gohan to follow him.

Gohan slowly got up. He gave his computer a hesitant glance but walked to the door when Comora made an impatient sound.

Half an hour later, Gohan was pacing around the dressing room that lead to the main training chamber. His heart was beating so loud he was certain the others could hear it, even if they weren't in the room. What was the punishment for treason? Death? Torture? The destruction of planet Earth? Knowing Vegeta he would make Gohan suffer for lying to him. Gohan knew Vegeta feared Gohan's ability to gain power quickly. He also knew that Vegeta wasn't stupid. The man knew exactly what Gohan would do once the younger Saiyan could overpower the older one.

Tobney watched Gohan walk around. The boy had been watching Gohan for a couple of minutes now and the fact that Gohan hadn't noticed him worried the older warrior. Gohan was usually so observant, unless he was worrying about something, like right now.

"How strong are you?" Tobney asked, narrowing his eyes.

Gohan stopped and looked up. He held Tobney's gaze for a moment before shaking his head and continuing the pacing. Tobney didn't approve of this and he walked closer, catching up with Gohan in a second and positioning himself in front of the half-saiyan. "Tell me."

Gohan looked away. "I don't know." He answered shortly.

"You don't know?" Tobney grabbed Gohan's shoulders, his nails digging into Gohan's skin. If it wasn't for the liquid blue uniform, Gohan's flesh would have been damaged. Gohan growled and tried to push Tobney's hands away but the older warrior only snarled back.  
>"Look at me!"<p>

"Let me go!"

"Not until you look at me."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Gohan pushed against Tobney's arms, hoping that he could push the other warrior away.

"Fine." Tobney grabbed Gohan's chin and forced the half-saiyan to look up and meet his eyes.

Gohan narrowed his eyes and pulled back a hand to punch his friend, but Tobney caught his fist easily. The boy used this to pull Gohan closer and wrap an arm around his friend's shoulders. His eyes focused on Gohan's eyes but the half-saiyan looked down, his forehead resting on Tobney's shoulder.

"You stubborn little… Why won't you listen to me?" Tobney snarled, releasing Gohan's fist so he could push the boy's face up again.

"Tobney." Gohan groaned. Tobney might not be making direct eye-contact with the Saiyan but the young warrior could feel Tobney's powers, prodding his mind, searching his soul, touching his memories.

The half-saiyan shoved Tobney, desperately trying to push the older warrior away, but Tobney was not just some pushover. He knew how to defend himself and he could still overpower the young warrior. Gohan stepped back, and continued this, hoping that Tobney would let him go, but the fighter followed him easily, stepping on the ground where Gohan's feet had just been, until Gohan bumped into a solid wall.

Tobney powered up and used his own body to pin the half-saiyan against the wall. He grabbed Gohan's chin forcefully and pushed his face up, staring into the boy's eyes.

This was when Gohan panicked. "Tobney!" He tried. "You're hurting me. Stop it."

"Then throw me off." Tobney was not fazed by Gohan's plea at all. "You have two choices, little runt. One, throw me off and show me your true strength. Two, let me look through your mind and find the truth there."

"I have been training." Gohan blinked and tried to press his eyes shut but something about Tobney's eyes made him want to look back. It was like his body was in a trance. His mind was screaming to close his eyes or look away, but his body would not respond. "My mind is strong. You won't get through my defense."

"Hmm.. Keep telling yourself that." Tobney smirked as he studied Gohan's mind. "You're no match for me."

"What the hell is going on here?" Comora's voice made them both look sideways. Tobney immediately released the half-saiyan and stepped back.

The boy was panting a little. Boy, that was difficult. Tobney's mind was so strong that Gohan was now feeling like he just ran a thousand laps. "Nothing." Tobney seemed tense but he was not out of breath. "We're just fooling around."

Gohan can already feel Comora's eyes on him and he nodded to affirm Tobney's story. "Just fooling around."

Comora made a sound that clearly showed he didn't believe them but the man decided to drop it for now. "Good. We don't need any drama in this team." The two teenagers exchanged glances. "I just got word from Vegeta. We're taking a little detour. An extra mission. Get ready to leave the ship in ten minutes."

They waited until Comora left the room before Gohan sank to his knees and stared at the door. "No test.." He muttered.

Tobney heard what Gohan just said and he smirked. "Don't worry. There will be other tests." He patted on Gohan's head. "It's good to know that you're still weaker than me though. Makes me feel so strong and confident."

"Not for long though." Gohan shrugged. "One day I'll surpass you and beating you up will be one of the most entertaining things I've ever done. Trust me."

Tobney laughed as he started for the doorway. "Dream on, little Saiyan." He teased in response.

Gohan waited until Tobney left the room before smirking himself. "That dream has already come true." He muttered to himself as he stretched the muscles in his arms. After this he started running to catch up with Tobney.

***** DBZ *** DBZ *****

"An interrogation mission?" Gohan exclaimed, shaking his head. "Nope. Nope. Nope." The boy turned away from the others and walked to the window.

The corners of Comora's lips moved up slightly as he watched the half-saiyan walk away. "That's the reaction I expected from you." He stated as he leaned against his desk. "The problem is that you don't have a choice in the matter. Lord Vegeta has not received the annual fee for planet Zika so someone has to check up on that, and we're closest to the planet right now."

Sipping from his drink, Tobney made a disapproving sound. "We're running errands for the big boss?"

"Disrespectful behavior is contagious." Comora's eyes moved from Tobney to Gohan and back again. "But I know the perfect treatment for bad dogs."

"Tssk. I don't need this right now." Tobney snarled before turning around and leaving the room. Gohan raised an eyebrow at this. Tobney never disrespected the others like that, especially not Comora. Also, everyone seemed to know something Gohan did not know. At least, they were exchanging glances and he even caught a smirk.

Comora ran a hand through his hair. "Suno. Take care of that, will you." The man waited until Suno left the room before continuing his story. "We land in a couple of hours. Once we're there just follow me. I know where we're supposed to go so just follow my lead."

"I'm staying out of this." Gohan stated from his position in the windowsill.

"Gohan.." Comora snarled suddenly. "My patience is wearing very thin. If I hear even one more word out of your stupid little mouth, I will personally rip out your tongue, got it?"

"You cannot rip out my tongue!" Gohan countered, shaking his head. "Vegeta will not appreciate that. I make a lot of calls for him. Who is going to do that when you rip out my tongue, huh?"

"Do you need that tail of yours for making calls?" Comora asked, his voice dangerously low.

The half-saiyan narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Don't. Test. Me." Comora spoke very slow and serious. He narrowed his eyes at the half-saiyan to show the boy he was being very serious. Gohan put up his hands in defeat and looked away. "Good. Someone here is sensible." He exclaimed.

Just then Suno and Tobney returned. "Took you long enough." Comora complained, his eyes trying to catch Tobney's eyes.

Tobney sent Comora a withering stare but did not say anything. The boy just walked to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall right next to the window in which Gohan was sitting.

Comora crossed his arms over each other. "Gohan, Itoro and Kaon know everything and they will tell you what you need to know. I don't feel like repeating myself." He said in a bored manner. "Just be here in two hours and be ready to fight."

"Why should we be ready to fight? Aren't they working together with lord Vegeta?" Suno asked, frowning a little. They were supposed to be allies. Was he going to fight his allies now?

"Because we are not going there to have a nice cup of tea with them." Comora replied. "The guy must have bodyguards and he might even send an entire army in our direction so they can defend him. People like that are annoying and tiring. Be ready for the possible bad luck."

The others nodded in response, and Comora dismissed them. After saluting, Gohan and Tobney were heading for the doorway, when Comora called out to the half-saiyan. "Gohan. Wait a moment, will you?"

Gohan stopped, exchanged glances with Tobney, and turned back to Comora. "What's up?" He asked once everyone was gone.

Comora studied the half-saiyan for a moment, and Gohan waited patiently, until he took a deep breath and tapped on his desk with his finger. "Itoro and you will be a team during this mission." He announced.

"WHAT?" Gohan exclaimed as he stepped closer. "Why? What's wrong with Tobney?" Tobney and Gohan had been a team since Gohan started working for Vegeta's army. They worked well together. They were good friends. The two were such a great team, and they had been on so many missions together that other soldiers actually gave them a name: "The Doggish Duo". Not the most flattering name but Tobney and Gohan were basically seen as Vegeta's two dogs, running errands, cleaning planets and doing all the nasty chores that the higher-ups didn't want to do. The two couldn't care less about their nickname though. They liked working together, even if they had to do stupid missions.

Comora crossed his arms over each other. "He already knows about it and he agreed. I just wanted to tell you now."

"What are you trying to do?" Gohan asked, frowning. "Tobney and I are the perfect team. You know that, Vegeta knows that, everyone knows it." His voice rose together with his annoyance. "Why are you trying to break us up?"

"I didn't know you two were so close." Comora said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean."

"It's not my problem. It's time for you two to learn to work with other people. What if one of you dies?" Comora suggested. "You cannot depend on each other like that."

"This was Vegeta's idea, wasn't it?" Gohan guessed, glaring at the other. "Is he afraid Tobney and I will rise up against him? Rebel and runaway together? And we'll live happily ever after?"

"I wouldn't say things like that too loud while you're in one of lord Vegeta's ships." Comora looked at his computer for a moment to make sure Vegeta wasn't listening to them.

"Honestly, Comora. Where would we go?" Gohan asked, his voice suddenly softer. "Tobney's planet is gone and mine is as good as gone if I leave the army. I won't take that risk, and Tobney wouldn't let me take it even if I wanted to." He shook his head. "We've got nowhere to go. We've got nothing to live for. We only have each other, and you want to break us apart?"

The funny thing was, Gohan wasn't even trying to convince Comora. He was just genuinely surprised that Comora hadn't noticed how close Tobney and Gohan had grown over the years. Their power together was fueled by their friendship. They were unbreakable as a team, but could easily be shot down when apart.

Comora raised an eyebrow. "Live with it, brat." He said before making a dismissive gesture with his hand.

Gohan wanted to say something. He wanted to tell Comora to piss off and leave their friendship alone but he knew that wasn't going to help him here. He just needed to give Comora some time to cool off, and realize that he made a mistake.

The young warrior left the room without saying anything and was so angry that he nearly bumped into his best friend. Tobney pretended to stumble back and fall down but he stayed on his feet. Gohan only rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore his friend, and continued walking.

Noticing the cold shoulder he was receiving, Tobney followed Gohan. "What's going on? What did Comora want to talk about?"

"Did you know they are planning on breaking up our team?" Gohan looked up and immediately got his answer. Tobney expression was easy to read for him, especially when his friend avoided his eyes. "You knew?" Tobney looked down in response. "Why didn't you tell me?" Gohan asked, frowning.

"I figured you would find out." Tobney answered, shrugging awkwardly.

Gohan took a deep breath. Tobney had been like this since Gohan met him. The older warrior obeyed easily and basically did everything his superiors told him without questioning them. Gohan knew that Tobney often disagreed with something, desperately wanted to object or complain, but the warrior always held his tongue and obeyed.

Something told Gohan that this behavior was something that was taught to Tobney, maybe after he joined the army or maybe even on his own planet, but it could get very annoying sometimes. Today was one of those times.

The half-saiyan pursed his lips. "So, why don't we fight it? We should do something about this."

Tobney shook his head slowly. "I'd rather not. Let's just wait this out and see what happens. It's not worth it." He waved with his hand as he said this.

In a way, Gohan expected this reaction and he was ready to fight fire with fire. "Okay. Fine. I get it. Why try to stay in a team with someone who doesn't want to team up with you? Never mind." The boy turned away from Tobney and started walking away.

"Gohan. Don't be like that. You know that I like working with you. We're an indestructible team."

"Then why won't you fight for us? What is stopping you?"

"Dramaqueen.." Tobney muttered under his breath. "Comora will never give us what we want. He will only say that we are behaving like spoiled brats and he might even keep us apart longer just to punish us."

Gohan knew these were realistic options. Comora was good at being mean. The half-saiyan shrugged tiredly. "We could at least try."

Tobney crossed his arms over each other, quickly looking around to make sure nobody was listening to them. "We could try…" He said slowly. "I guess."

Gohan grinned. "Yes! I knew you would change your mind." He said cheerfully. He ignored how Tobney rolled his eyes and stepped closer so he could lower his voice. "So… Now to think of a plan.."

Tobney made a face and brushed through his hair awkwardly. "I might know something…" He said slowly. "It's not a bulletproof plan but it could work.."

"What is it? Tell me and I'll say if it's good or bad." Gohan was very interested in this. Tobney's plans were usually good and they often worked well too.

"Okay…." Tobney motioned for Gohan to come closer and leaned forward so he could whisper the plan in his ear. This way he knew that they were safe because, except for Gohan, there were no warriors with super hearing on this ship.

Gohan raised his eyebrows and made a face. "Really? I don't know if that will work.."

"We could try." Tobney suggested, throwing Gohan's own words back at him.

Gohan smirked and nodded. "We could try."

***** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it,, **

**Please leave a review in which you tell me that you hate me for not updating any chapters for months and I'll try to update this story again in three weeks! **

**Just kidding.. Don't hate me please ;-; **

**Seeee youuuu in threeeeeee weeeeeeeeeekksssss~ **


	16. Chapter 16: Can't Beat Time

**Okay, so three weeks.. I really shouldn't make promises I can't keep.. **

**Here's another chapter for you guys! I really wanted to work on this story, mainly because Dragonball Kai 2014! AWESOME!**

**I don't really like the Majin Buu saga. I mean, I'm a Gohan fan. I've always been a Gohan fan. I wanted to marry him when I was watching Dbz at age 8 or 9 xD And I hate that they reduced such an awesome character to comic relief. And I could sit here and give you my sad "Gohan is only acting out his lost childhood" speech, but it still does not change the fact that Akira Toriyama let down one of his best characters just because he's not the most popular character (People said Toriyama wanted to make Gohan defeat Buu but he changed it after the fans of Vegeta and Goku complained or something like that -.- Don't know if that's true but it sucks).**

**Oh well, still gonna watch it ^^**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**And here's the next chapter!**

**Chapter 16. Can't Beat Time.**

This did not go as he planned. It was supposed to be different. It was supposed to work, but it didn't.

"Staging a fight between you two so we would pair you two up in order to stop the fight?" Comora snarled as he circled the half-saiyan. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

Gohan shrugged, looking down. He'd been very quiet through it all. After Comora found out about their little scheme, Gohan had been very quiet, which scared the others a bit. They were not used to this behavior.

"Destroying the entire common room because the fight had to look real? Breaking the scouters so we wouldn't be able to find you two by your power levels?" Comora's voice rose as he spoke.

When Gohan did not answer, Comora appeared in front of him, placing his hands on the arms of the chair and leaning in closer, forcing Gohan to lean back. "This is all a game to you, isn't it?" He growled. Gohan shook his head weakly. "You just wanted to see what would happen? We are trying to run a business and you think you can throw everything away because of your stupid games!"

Gohan looked away. "Was it fun, Gohan?" Comora leaned in closer, trying and succeeding to intimidate the young warrior. "Did you enjoy it? Was it worth destroying our mission, Vegeta's million credit mission?"

Gohan did look at him now. The fire returned to his eyes, or did it never leave? Comora did not know which it was but he noticed the anger behind those fires now. "Step back." Gohan growled, lowly and dangerously.

Comora pulled back, stepping back to give Gohan more room. "Why did you do it?"

Gohan looked up as if he had not expected Comora to ask this. He shrugged weakly once more. "I wanted to see if it would work."

"You wanted to see if it would…" In a flare of anger, Comora grabbed Gohan's shoulder tightly and pulled him up. "Well? Did it work?" He screamed into Gohan's face.

Gohan gave a scream back. "Don't touch me!" He hit Comora's hands away. "I'm sick and tired of you adults who all think you can just push me around because I might be younger!"

"Maybe we would stop pushing you around if you started to behave!" Comora screamed back. "You need grow up!"

"I don't want to grow up!" Gohan's scream was so loud that his own voice broke because of it. Comora widened his eyes for a moment. "I CAN'T grow up!" Tears appeared in the corner of Gohan's eyes, small and sudden.

Comora stepped back when a thought hit him. Gohan was just a little kid. The half-saiyan tried to hide it, tried to act like he did not have a fear in the world, but that was all a charade, all lies. Gohan was very much afraid of something. Something very close to home.

"Gohan.."

The half-saiyan shook his head. "Look at me, Comora. I'm growing up. I'm getting older.." He spread his arms. "I am one of the strongest warriors alive but even I cannot beat time…" His gaze lowered to the ground. "I'm turning fourteen soon. My body is changing.. I don't know what's happening…"

"He gave you a maximum age.." Comora whispered. It all fell into place for him now. Gohan's childish behavior and his tendency to hide his strength and belittle his own achievements.

"He told me he would kill me before I grow up." Gohan clenched his fists. "He knows what I will do once I get strong enough so he will make sure I won't get that far.." He sighed, tears slipping from his eyes. "I don't want to die. Not like that."

"So you act childish? Do you really think that will work?"

"I thought that I could fool him into thinking that I'm younger. I know he does not know my exact birthday. Maybe if I pretend to be a child, he won't realize how old I really am."

Comora crossed his arms over each other. "Are you strong enough to overpower Vegeta?" He asked, looking up.

Gohan slowly shook his head. "I've never fought him with all my power but I don't think so. I think he's still stronger. Besides, it won't be a normal fight. It will be an execution. He will ask your help if he can't win."

"He won't get it."

"You cannot refuse his orders."

"Vegeta knows how I feel about killing my own soldiers." Comora made a very determined face. "I'd rather die myself and he won't kill me. Honestly, I doubt that he will kill you."

Gohan's eyes lowered. "I just want to see my mom again." Even after all these years of working as an assassin, this comment made Comora feel like he just started out. Guilt. He felt guilty for keeping the half-saiyan here. For making him commit his first kill and for eventually turning the boy into a cold-blooded murderer.

The man placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Why don't you stay here while we complete the mission?" He suggested.

Gohan slowly shook his head. "I can help." He felt bad for everything he had done that day, and he really wanted to help out, be useful.

"Stay, Gohan. We'll manage without you. It's an easy mission." Comora waved Gohan's protests away. The half-saiyan nodded once to show that he would obey this time, and Comora left the room without saying anything else. The half-saiyan walked to the window, placed his hands on the windowsill and looked out, staring at nothing while he tried to calm himself.

A few minutes later, Tobney entered the room. "Gohan? Comora told me you needed me here…" He started as he looked around. The man slowly stopped talking when he caught Gohan's distraught mood. His psychic senses on overdrive, he was somewhat startled when he noticed the tears on the half-saiyan's cheeks.

A small part of the young boy appreciated that Comora sent Tobney to comfort him, but a bigger part was not too pleased that both Tobney and Comora could see him in such a weak situation. He expected Tobney to tease him, make a snide comment about his weakness. He was so convinced that Tobney's response would be negative that he flinched a little when Tobney's hand landed on his head. The teenager gently tousled Gohan's hair as he looked out the window. He did not say a word.

The silence continued as Tobney's hand moved to Gohan's shaking shoulder, sometimes squeezing or rubbing his shoulder to comfort him. The older warrior needed no explanation. He just had to be there for his friend. That was all he needed to know.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Later that day, Gohan was sitting in the windowsill next to his bed. He hoped Comora did not tell anyone else about his little breakdown earlier that day. He did not notice any changes in their behavior so he assumed neither Comora nor Tobney said anything.

"There you are!" Tobney exclaimed as he entered the room, pointing at Gohan in an exaggerated manner.

"Here I am~" Gohan replied cutely.

"I should have known that you were here. You're always on this particular spot when I cannot find you." Tobney climbed on his bed, crossing his legs once he was seated. "What'cha doing?"

Gohan already noticed the tone in Tobney's voice. The twenty-one year old might be a psychic but he was also very easy to read. The man was bored, and Gohan was to help him with this problem.

"I'm just enjoying being alone for a moment." Gohan replied innocently, keeping his tone light.

"Hmm…. Having fun so far?"

"Yes. Being alone, in silence, is very relaxing. I'd like to do it some more." Gohan said this very slowly as if he was talking to a little child.

"Feeling lonely yet? Cause here I am!"

Gohan let out a sigh as he leaned against the glass with his forehead. "Do you ever think about your planet?"

"First you're crying and now you're talking about the past? You're awfully sentimental today." Tobney teased, placing his hands on the bed behind him and leaning back. Gohan only turned his head to look at him. "Sometimes. I try not to. I can never go back there, can I? Might as well forget about it."

Gohan's head turned again and he looked outside again. "Maybe." He said slowly as his eyes followed the stars and planets that shot by.

"Are you thinking about visiting your planet one day?" Tobney tilted his head sideways. He wondered how badly Gohan wanted to go to his planet. He often asked about it but Gohan always avoided talking about it.

"I'm not allowed." Gohan replied after a pause.

"Did you ever ask Vegeta if you could go? Like in the last few months?" Tobney knew that Gohan was taken from his planet so logically, the boy was not allowed to go back to his planet in the beginning. But Gohan had been working very hard lately, and he had been loyal to Vegeta and the army. He's had many opportunities to leave or escape but he never took them.

Gohan looked down. "No."

"Maybe you should try it." Tobney suggested, smiling a little. "He might say yes."

"Or he might shoot a beam right through my heart." Gohan added sarcastically.

Tobney grinned. "It probably depends on his mood."

Gohan shifted on the windowsill. "It's a dangerous thing to ask."

"Do you want me to raise the topic for you?" Tobney suggested.

Gohan slowly shook his head. "No. This is something I have to do.. I need to talk to him anyway."

"About what happened today." Tobney could still feel Gohan's distraught feelings. They were vague, but they were still there.

Gohan nodded. "Yes. I want to know what my future is going to be. I need to know what he has planned for me."

Tobney took a deep breath. "Just… Be careful." He had been working with Vegeta for a while now and he knew that the man could get very angry when people started to ask the wrong questions. Gohan might be a useful warrior but he was not above the law, and Tobney was pretty sure that he would punish or maybe even kill Gohan for an offense like that.

"Don't worry." Gohan smiled a little as he stared out the window. "After all these years of servitude, I know how to handle Vegeta."

The two warriors looked up when the intercom made a sound. Comora's voice interrupted their conversation easily. "Meeting in the common room in five minutes."

Gohan raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Tobney. That was a surprise. They entered the common room a couple of minutes later. Gohan took his position in the windowsill, the place where he always decided to sit down during meetings.

"What's happening?" Gohan asked curiously, leaning forwards and placing his hands on the windowsill.

"You'll find out soon." Comora replied without looking at him. He never really did answer Gohan's questions but that did not keep Gohan from asking.

Once everyone was present, Comora pressed a couple of buttons on his computer and the large screen lit up, showing Vegeta. Gohan almost immediately leaned back upon seeing his master. It usually did not mean anything good when Vegeta was contacting them while they were travelling.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Vegeta greeted as he wrote something down. He put the pen down and looked up. "Is everyone there?"

"All here." Comora replied, leaning on his desk with one hand.

"Good. I contacted you to tell you that your mission has been extended. The information will be send to you shortly. It's a small planet in the southern quatrain. Take it for me." He studied the warriors in the room. "On another note, there is a space pod coming in your direction. It will reach your ship somewhere in the next couple of days."

"What?" Comora asked as he stood straight. "I didn't hear anything about this. Who is it?"

"It's a rather last minute decision I made." Vegeta tapped on the desk with his finger. "The person I'm sending to you is a slave who was working at the pleasure quarters as a guard. She helped some of the working girls escape, and tried to get away herself."

"She?" Gohan interrupted as he sat up straight. "You're talking about Sianna?" This name seemed familiar to the others. They all exchanged glances and stood up a little straighter.

Vegeta glared at Gohan for interrupting him but did not comment on it. "Yes. That's the one. You've all heard of her before…"

"But you can't send her to us." Gohan jumped off the windowsill and stepped closer to the screen. "They hate Sianna." He pointed to his comrades. None of them seemed to object to this. "She's terrified of them."

"She should be.." Suno muttered under his breath.

Vegeta's expression told Gohan everything he needed to know. The man knew exactly what kind of situation he was putting the girl in. The half-saiyan stepped back and shook his head slowly, still surprised by how mean Vegeta could be.

Assuming that Gohan wasn't going to say anymore, Vegeta turned to Comora. "That is all." He stated. All the warriors saluted before Vegeta signed off.

Gohan let out a breath. "Poor girl.." He muttered as he looked at the ground.

"Why are you so sad? This just means that the others will bully someone else for a change. You're off the hook." Tobney tousled Gohan's hair playfully.

"How old was she again?" Itoro questioned curiously.

"Too young." Comora replied, giving Itoro a warning glance.

"Not for me." Tobney said cheerfully. Seeing as Sianna was sixteen and he was twenty-one, there was only an acceptable five year difference, in his opinion.

Itoro made a face as he leaned back against one of the machines. "Does this place start to feel like a petting zoo to you guys?" He asked, looking at the other adults. "First the puppy, then the monkey and now a snake?" He ignored the glares he got from the two young warriors. "And all the work that goes into taking care of those animals.." He sighed dramatically.

"I dare you to call me that in front of Vegeta." Gohan frowned at the large warrior.

"Meh. I don't have a death wish." Itoro shrugged casually as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Then why do you keep calling me that?"

"You're not that scary just yet." Itoro patted Gohan's head in a rather condescending manner.

Gohan moved his head down to get away from Itoro's touch. "Not that scary… Just you wait.." He muttered angrily before looking up at Tobney. "And what's with that puppy name? Why do they keep calling you that?"

"Yeah.. Why do we keep calling you that?" Suno tilted his head sideways and sent Tobney a grin. "Do explain."

The twenty-one year old glared at the adults before looking at Comora, who was leaning on the desk with both hands and watching them silently. "Don't you have anything to say about the upcoming mission?"

Comora nodded, a smile on his face, and got up. "Yes. I just received all the necessary information. It's a short mission. Not too much work. We'll be done in no-time." He started as he switched on the screen and a new picture appeared, showing graphs and lists of information about the planet.

Gohan glanced sideways when Suno appeared next to Tobney and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders, squeezing them gently. Tobney sent the older warrior a meaningful glance but did not say anything, and Gohan could not help but feel left out of something. He knew little about whatever happened before he joined the Suta Team, and he often realized this whenever they had an inside joke that he didn't get or an anecdote which he did not know anything about.

It's not like he was terribly sad that he was not so close to the warriors. He did not want to join their team in the first place and he would leave them and the entire army immediately if he ever got the chance. Still, sometimes, whenever he saw Tobney interact with the Suta Team members in a very familiar way, he wondered if he would ever have such a relationship with them.

The space pod carrying Sianna was actually faster than Vegeta predicted. It landed the very next day, and Gohan was the first one to enter the space pod center. He was close by when the alarms went off so he decided to watch the show. The others were very quick as well. Something like this was deemed entertaining, especially since Sianna was a very sassy girl.

The young girl knew exactly in how much trouble she was though. She climbed out of the space pod and silently knelt down, bowing her head in respect. This surprised all the men greatly.

"Sianna." Comora started slowly. "You know why you are here, right?"

A smile appeared on Sianna's young face. "Lord Vegeta couldn't handle me so he sent me here, just like he does with all his nuisances." She placed her hands on her hips. "Ever thought of asking for a raise? I'd hate to take in all the lost causes of the army."

"You're well informed. The only difference is that we have no use for you as a soldier so you're just going to have make yourself useful in other ways. You can start by cleaning all the floors and windows in this ship." Comora was not fazed by Sianna's reply at all. He'd dealt with her before.

Sianna scoffed. "If you think I'm going to listen to you guys, you're sadly mistaken. Vegeta might have thought that you could do a number on me because you've broken those pussies," Gohan and Tobney exchanged glances, "but I'm not that easily defeated. You might as well give up now."

Gohan had to admire her courage. All these men were at least twice her size and they weren't pushovers. Sianna, on the other hand, had not been fed all that well over the years and you could see how her cheeks were sunken in a bit, her clothing hanging on her body like rags. Aside from that she was not very tall. These men could easily snap her neck without even trying.

Comora's eyes twinkled as he stepped closer. "I don't think you comprehend what's happening here. Lord Vegeta gave you to us. We can do whatever we want with you. We can kill you and there will be no consequences. Hell, Lord Vegeta will give us a promotion if we do."

"You won't kill me." Sianna stood straight and her gaze shot sideways to Gohan. "Gohan won't let you."

The half-saiyan could not help but smirk at this. It was true. He could care less if they harm, hurt, torture or even molest her ( which he strongly doubted they would do), but he would not allow them to kill her.

"That's not my concern." Comora replied, brushing away the argument. "Gohan cannot stop me."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Tobney was leaning against the table, arms crossed over each other, and his eyes were focusing on the half-saiyan. Gohan glanced back at him, trying not to glare. He could not show that he was slightly annoyed by this comment. He was getting sick and tired of everyone assuming that he was hiding his power.

Comora's eyes lingered on Gohan's for a moment, but the half-saiyan did not show any emotion. The man eventually looked back to Sianna and started talking to her again. Gohan's eyes moved back to Tobney, who was still looking at him. The half-saiyan sent the boy a mental threat or warning, whatever Tobney thinks it is, to stop pestering him about his strength or else. The corners of Tobney's mouth moved up a bit as he looked away. Message received and understood. Obeyed, however, is a different story.

Gohan turned his attention back to the conversation that was going on. He needed to get through to Tobney. The man was starting to annoy him greatly. He kept making these small comments and giving hints about Gohan's secret strength. It made Gohan wonder if the man ever snuck up on him and listened to his thoughts while he was sleeping. The young warrior recently found out that it was very difficult to keep secrets from a boy who knew him very well, and who was a psychic too. Gohan decided to keep an eye on his friend. That was all he could do.

"Fine." Comora was saying when Gohan tuned into the conversation again. "Don't work. But you should know, people who don't work, don't get any food or water. Let's see how long you'll keep that up."

"Puhlease." Sianna waved this comment away. "I've been living on limited food for years now. Don't think a little hunger will kill me."

"Fine. Suit yourself." Comora looked at the men in the room. "No food or water for the snake unless she works for it. Understand?" Everyone nodded. Comora's eyes landed on Gohan. "Understood?"

"Understood." Gohan repeated. He was not planning on getting punished for someone he did not even like all that much. If Sianna wanted to starve herself, that was all on her.

The days after that were pretty quiet. Gohan was not too worried about Sianna. If she got in trouble then that was her fault. He could not care less.. Is what he told himself, but he could not help but keep an eye on her. Make sure she did not get hurt.

He expected that something would go wrong. He knew that at some point Sianna would do something that would set the others off, something that would get her in trouble. What he did not expect was that the impatience of the others was the greatest threat.

"I win!" Tobney cheered as he raised his hands in the air. Gohan pushed the puzzle away, making a face. He was usually a graceful loser but losing to Tobney was something he did not like at all.

"Yeah. Yeah. It's just a game." Gohan muttered as he leaned back.

Tobney was about to reply when his eyes landed on something else. Gohan noticed the expression on his face and his gaze automatically moved to the doorway as well. The half-saiyan got up.

Suno and Itoro were standing in the doorway. They looked rather surprised to see the two younger warriors. But the two adults were not what Gohan was looking at. No, his eyes were focused on the girl that was hanging from their hands.

She was unconscious. That much was clear. Her hair was sticking to her face and neck, which were both wet from sweat. Gohan's gaze moved to the blood that was dripping down her back.

"Why are you still standing here?" Comora snarled as he stepped closer. "She'll bleed on the entire hallway and I'm not going to.." The man stopped talking when he noticed what they were staring at. "Gohan… Tobney.." The man took a deep breath. "I thought you two were training."

"We decided to stop early." Tobney said slowly as Gohan stepped closer.

"What did you do to her?" Gohan asked as he eyed the young girl.

"She refused to obey my orders so we punished her." Comora started in a rather loud voice.

"How many?" The blood was coming from her back, forming a puddle on the ground. The half-saiyan could certainly guess what they did.

"Fifteen." Comora replied. "We all got…"

"Fifteen? At your strength?" Gohan looked up, shaking his head slowly. "How is she still alive?"

Tobney leaned on the table with one hand. "How did she survive that?" He asked, rather confused.

"She's stronger than she looks." Suno shrugged as he said this. "Who cares. She might still die if she bleeds out."

Gohan nodded and was already pulling her from their hands. He easily carried her bridal style, not caring about the blood that was tainting his hands.

Comora raised an eyebrow. "Someone is very sensitive about this. Someone cares a lot."

Gohan glared at him but did not say anything. He turned away from them and rushed to the medical room where he placed her in a rejuvenation tank. He placed a towel over her body, wrapping it around her shoulders so that her back was bare and could heal faster.

Once everything was set, he closed the tank and turned the machine on. Watching as the rejuvenating water ran in the tank, he sat down on a chair and sighed. What was this feeling? Something was bothering him. A feeling in his stomach. He let out another sigh. Guilt. It's been a while since he felt that.

Why did he feel guilty? He did not beat her into the rejuvenation tank? He did not even know that this was going on. Should he have known? Should he have kept a better eye on her? He knew how impatient his comrades could be. He experienced that himself when he just joined the team. They punished him quickly and for minor offences. Why did he think it would be different this time?

Tobney eyed the rejuvenation tank and smiled when he noticed the towel around Sianna's shoulders. The towels were used to cover up any self-conscious soldiers and were usually placed on their laps. Small weights in the hem of the towel made sure that it would not float in the water. Gohan had placed two on Sianna's body. One to cover up her chest and one on her lap. She was still wearing her ragged dress but the back was destroyed during the whipping and Gohan did not want to risk it falling off her body while she was in the tank. "How is she doing?"

Gohan looked up. "She'll be out soon."

Tobney nodded as he stepped closer. "It wasn't your fault, you know." He said slowly as he eyed the young warrior.

"I know, but that does not mean that I can't help her out." Gohan shifted on his seat and looked up at his friend. "I don't know why but I want to help her…"

"Because you've been there." Tobney smiled when Gohan looked up again. "You know how it feels. I do too."

Gohan smiled back and grabbed a chair so Tobney could sit down too. They did not have to wait long. The rejuvenation tanks were used to treating these kind of wounds and the victim was young and healthy enough to heal quickly.

The two boys were talking when the tank beeped. Sianna opened her eyes when the tank opened. She stared at them for a moment and they stared back.

"Ehh.." Gohan got up and grabbed a black uniform. "I have a uniform for you. I don't know if we have anything else than uniforms on the ship. So I hope that's okay."

Sianna's expression softened for a moment. She nodded and tried to get out of the tank. Her dress started to fall down and she grabbed it quickly, holding it up as she got out. "I don't need a uniform. Wouldn't want to look like you."

"I don't think you have a choice." Tobney leaned back as he eyed the girl. "Your dress is pretty beat up and we don't have the needed equipment to repair it."

Sianna looked down and eyed the dress. She tried to find a way in which it would stay on her body but it kept sliding down, forcing her to grab it before it revealed anything significant. She had to since neither Tobney nor Gohan had the decency to look away. Sianna looked up when Gohan held out the uniform to her. She growled and snatched it out of his hands.

"Well. Leave." She snarled, waving them away.

Gohan and Tobney exchanged glances. "You can change right over there." Gohan pointed to a door. There was a small changing room behind it. "You can't order us around here."

"I'd say it's pretty much the other way around." Tobney drawled as he got up. "So, hurry up and change. I need to bring you back to Comora."

Gohan pointed to the changing room when Sianna looked at him. She scoffed and walked to the door. Gohan glanced sideways once she was gone.

"You're bringing her to Comora?"

"Yep. Gotta follow orders." Tobney shrugged. "He wants her to start working right away."

"That's too bad for him then. I'm not planning on doing any work." Sianna stepped closer and crossed her arms.

Gohan tilted his head sideways as he eyed the young woman. He was used to seeing her in baggy clothing, ragged outfits that hung loosely around her entire body. Now, however, she was wearing a rather tight uniform which showed off her feminine forms and, something that Gohan had not expected, her rather muscled arms.

"Stop ogling, you perverts." She snarled as she walked to one of the closets. "I want one of those armors to cover up more. This thing is hopeless." She opened the closet and reached inside to grab an armor that covered her chest area and continued downwards in separate areas that protected her upper legs, back and front. "Perfect."

"Well, thanks for nothing." She extended two fingers and tapped them against her forehead to greet them. "I'll be seeing you around."

"Oh no no no." Tobney grabbed her wrist when she tried to pass him. "You're coming with me."

Sianna growled as she tried to pull her wrist free. "Let me go!" She snarled when she couldn't free herself.

"You see, we are the ones who can give you orders." Tobney explained as he forced her to step closer. "And if you don't want another whipping you'd better listen to us."

Fear flashed in Sianna's eyes. Her body relaxed visibly and she looked away. "Fine." She muttered.

"Good." Tobney reached out and placed his fingers under her chin, pushing her face up. She met his eyes, frowning slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"Testing the limits of your obedience." Tobney replied innocently, enjoying how her eyes narrowed in annoyance. The young woman took a deep breath while she let Tobney touch her chin. "Want a feel too, Gohan? Her skin is very soft." His fingers caressed her cheek before slowly curling her hair behind her ear.

Gohan snickered. "Nah. I'm good." He replied. "Got a good feel of that when I was training her." The grin on his face broadened when she sent him a glare.

"Are you done?" Sianna asked, looking at Tobney. She stepped back when he released her. "Tssk. And I thought that those geezers would be the perverted ones." She said before turning away from them and walking to the doorway.

Gohan and Tobney exchanged glances. "Were we being perverted just now?" Gohan asked, feeling rather strange.

"I was going for annoying but I guess perverted works too. Girls hate that." Tobney shrugged before he turned to the doorway. "Let's go." He motioned for Gohan to follow him. "I like her. Watching Comora trying to order her around will be very amusing."

Running to catch up with Sianna, the two warriors assumed a place on either side of her, both quickening their pace when the girl started to walk faster.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Tobney asked when Sianna gave an uncertain glance at their surroundings.

She placed a hand on his shoulder as if she just thought of something. "Yes! Away from you." She pulled back and turned around the next corner.

"I would turn left here if I were you." Gohan stated, glancing in the direction he just mentioned. "It might bring you where you want to go."

"Or you could go right." Tobney added, appearing next to her again. "Comora's there."

"Left it is." Sianna muttered more to herself than to the others.

"That's not true." Gohan frowned at Tobney. "You just said that Comora is around the right corner because you want her to go left, where he really is."

"That's not true! You liar!" Tobney shook his head quickly. "You and I both know that Comora is in the room on the right."

"OOOHHH, you two are horrible!" Sianna snarled as she turned to face them. They both looked very surprised, but she was sure they were faking it. "Stay far away from me! Both of you!" She pointed at them before walking away from them and actually taking the right door.

"Should we have told her that both doors lead to the common room, where Comora is?" Gohan said softly as he leaned closer to Tobney.

"She'll find out soon, won't she?" Tobney grinned as he walked to the door on the left.

"We are horrible, aren't we?" Gohan turned to the right door. They were planning on entering through both doors at the same time, showing Sianna that they had been messing with her.

Tobney seemed to consider this as he waited for Gohan to reach the other doorway. "Maybe a little." He raised his hand and extended his thumb and index finger, leaving a small space between them to show how horrible they were.

"I can live with that." Gohan stated, nodding a few times. They both exchanged rather amused glances before walking into the room.

***** DBZ *** DBZ *****

**I'm not too happy with the ending but I really did not know how to end this chapter and I just wanted to give you guys a new chapter so … It sucks but that's all you're going to get! xD **

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Sayonara~ **


	17. Chapter 17: Gohan Refuses

**Hey guys! Initially, I was planning on studying this evening but after watching my country advance to the quarter finals of the World Cup, I was just too exhilarated to study, you know. (Like, my country sucks at soccer. What's happening? XD) So, proofreading and posting a new chapter is a lot more fun anyway ^^ **

**On another note, someone mentioned that Gohan's and/or Tobney's age tends to fluctuate throughout my chapters. I'm sorry about that. I'll correct that in the earlier chapters. The ages that I mention in this chapter are the correct ones and I'll try to do that right from now on. *casually writes it down***

**Warning: Graphic violence. I guess that pretty much happens in every chapter but I never warn you guys... Maybe I should start doing that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz or any of the characters.**

**Previously on Slave Soldier: **

_**(This is not exactly how the scene went in the earlier chapter but it tells the same story)  
><strong>__  
>Tobney leaned on the windowsill with his hands. "Vegeta told me to look outside because the view of my planet was just too beautiful to miss. I witnessed the most amazing fireworks that day, and my planet was the main event. It exploded right in front of me."<em>

_Gohan's mouth was open. He gave a horrified expression. Tobney clenched his fists as he continued: "Vegeta gave me three days to accept a position in his army. After that he put me in a couple of different teams but they couldn't control me, so he figured the Suta Team would know what to do with me. They took me in and…" Tobney's gaze moved down to his hands. "They were too much for me. I gave up."_

_****** DBZ **** DBZ ******_

"_It's a rather last minute decision I made." Vegeta tapped on the desk with his finger. "The person I'm sending to you is a slave who was working at the pleasure quarters as a guard. She helped some of the working girls escape, and tried to get away herself." _

"_She?" Gohan interrupted as he sat up straight. "You're talking about Sianna?" This name seemed familiar to the others. They all exchanged glances and stood up a little straighter. _

_****** DBZ **** DBZ ******_

_Tobney eyed the rejuvenation tank and smiled when he noticed the towel around Sianna's shoulders. The towels were used to cover up any self-conscious soldiers and were usually placed on their laps. Small weights in the hem of the towel made sure that it would not float in the water. Gohan had placed two on Sianna's body. One to cover up her chest and one on her lap. She was still wearing her ragged dress but the back was destroyed during the whipping and Gohan did not want to risk it falling off her body while she was in the tank. "How is she doing?" _

_Gohan looked up. "She'll be out soon."_

_Tobney nodded as he stepped closer. "It wasn't your fault, you know." He said slowly as he eyed the young warrior. _

"_I know, but that does not mean that I can't help her out." Gohan shifted on his seat and looked up at his friend. "I don't know why but I want to help her…"_

"_Because you've been there." Tobney smiled when Gohan looked up again. "You know how it feels. I do too."_

_****** DBZ **** DBZ ******_

"_Should we have told her that both doors lead to the common room, where Comora is?" Gohan said softly as he leaned closer to Tobney. _

"_She'll find out soon, won't she?" Tobney grinned as he walked to the door on the left. _

"_We are horrible, aren't we?" Gohan turned to the right door. They were planning on entering through both doors at the same time, showing Sianna that they had been messing with her._

_Tobney seemed to consider this as he waited for Gohan to reach the other doorway. "Maybe a little." He raised his hand and extended his thumb and index finger, leaving a small space between them to show how horrible they were. _

"_I can live with that." Gohan stated, nodding a few times. They both exchanged rather amused glances before walking into the room. _

**Moving on~**

**Chapter 17. Gohan Refuses...**

Gohan and Tobney were rather surprised when they entered the large common room. They expected Sianna to anger the others, but not this quickly.

"You can all go to hell!" She exclaimed when the two entered the room. Gohan raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer. "I've seen your worst, and I've been through it, and I can handle it." She placed her hands on her hips, assuming a rather confident appearance.

"You think you've seen our worst?" Comora asked his voice low and silent. "You think we can't do better?"

"You're underestimating me." Sianna stepped closer to him. "I won't obey you all just because you gave me a beating. I've had enough of those on the ship." She was right. Gohan had seen some of the beatings that she received, but he was pretty sure the Suta Team could do much better.

"Fine." Comora exchanged glances with the other warriors. "What do you say we play a game of catch?"

Gohan made a face. "I don't think that's fair." He started, feeling rather bad about this. He knew that he was going to have to participate but he really did not want to. "She's not as fast as we are."

"You weren't as fast as we were but that didn't stop us from playing this with you, now did it?" Comora's mocking expression made Gohan take a step back. He definitely did not want to be reminded of that.

"She cannot fight us though." Tobney backed up his friend. "She might have some knowledge of combat but she wasn't trained professionally or endured any real battles. She cannot block our attacks."

Comora stretched his muscles. "Luckily, someone like that played the game as well, do you remember it, Tobney?"

The twenty-year-old stepped back as well. "Should have seen that one coming..." He muttered as he reached up to scratch the back of his head.

"And I expect you two to participate because we definitely wouldn't mind playing that game a third," His eyes focused on Gohan before moving to Tobney, "or fifth time. Understood?" The two boys nodded simultaneously. "Good."

"Four times?" Gohan whispered to Tobney, raising an eyebrow.

The older warrior shrugged helplessly. "I was stubborn. "

"So," Comora looked back at Sianna. "We are going to play a little game. You run and we catch you. The one who catches you gets to give you a surprise." He smirked as he uncrossed his arms and showed ten fingers. "We'll count to ten. I'd start running if I were you."

Sianna frowned as she stepped back. "I'm not going to run from you." She said, raising her voice to overpower Comora's counting.

"Seven, six, five..." Comora cracked his knuckles while Suno stretched out his arm muscles. Gohan and Tobney exchanged reluctant glances.

"Four..." Sianna shook her head when Comora motioned for her to run.

"You cannot scare me!" She took an angry step closer, her long black hair falling over her shoulder in the process.

"Two. One."

Itoro was the first one to reach Sianna. He pulled back a fist and punched her right in the cheek. She landed on the ground with a scream. Placing her hand on her cheek, she looked up. "That was it?" She was planning on saying more but she had to roll away to avoid being kicked by Comora. The man made an annoyed sound and stepped back to make room for Suno, who was trying to punch Sianna again. The girl stumbled back, almost tripping over her own feet.

"Stop!" She said, extending her hands.

Tobney's turn. He appeared behind her and gave her a push, forcing her to stumble forward and land on her hands and knees. Gohan appeared in front of her. "Sorry." He whispered before kicking against her chin, pushing her up until she landed on her back.

"My turn!" Kaon stepped up, but Sianna had been scared enough. She scrambled to get on her feet and ran away. "Aww… She started running. She beat you guys to it!" He stated cheerfully, sending a glance in the direction of the two younger warriors, before running after the young woman.

Itoro followed his comrades eagerly. Gohan and Tobney were somewhat hesitant. The older warriors were prepared for this, and Suno was already pushing against Tobney's back while Comora grabbed Gohan's arm and pulled him along.

Sianna was running, fast. She did not really know why but something was telling her that she had to run. The places where the others had punched or kicked her were hurting incredibly. Okay, they got her scared. The whipping scared her as well, but at the time she was clinging to the hope that Gohan would notice what was going on and stop them. This time, however, the boy was helping them and not her. She was all alone this time.

Kaon appeared next to her. "Hey there!" He used his leg to trip the young woman. She landed on the ground, her chin scraping against the floor, making her squeal in pain. Itoro pushed his boot under her stomach and pushed her up in the air. Comora was waiting there and placed his hands together, forming a large fist, to punch her back to the ground, where Suno kicked against her side, making her roll away from him.

Tobney grabbed her foot, pulled her up and threw her into the wall, where she landed on the ground with a gasp. Gohan was about to make his move when Comora extended his arm in front of him, pushing the boy back. "You'll get five seconds to make a run for it." Comora stated as Sianna slowly got up. Gohan stepped back.

Sianna was breathing heavily by now. Her nose was bleeding and there were traces of blood on her chin. "Five." Comora started again. Sianna stepped back. "Four." The girl started to run away from them. The warriors all watched her go. "Three!" Comora raised his voice as she turned around a corner and disappeared from their sight. "Two! One." He gave Gohan a push against his shoulder. "Your turn."

Sianna was sitting on the ground, under a table that was standing in the middle of the common room. After being chased around the entire ship for a while, she had finally returned to the common room and was now hiding there. Okay. She could understand why this was an effective punishment. They let her run, only to catch her and hurt her, and then they let her run again. It was tiring and she felt like they were everywhere. She couldn't get away from them, and she wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep this up.

A hand curled around her foot and dragged her from under the table, into the light. Gohan released her and stepped back to let Kaon kick her in her stomach. She gasped for air and tried to get up but Itoro pushed his boot against her forehead, pushing her back down to the ground harshly. There, Comora kicked in her stomach again. Sianna curled into a ball, placing her hands over her head to protect herself from Suno's kick.

Tobney gave Comora a hesitant glance but when the man only glared back at him, the boy reached down to grab a large chunk of Sianna's hair. He ignored her scream when he pulled her up in the air. Gohan pulled back a fist and pushed it deeply into Sianna's stomach. Tobney released her and let her fall down while Gohan stepped back.

Comora watched as the girl made her body small again. She'd clearly given up on fighting them. She tried to put up a fight before, futile, but it was there, but now she was only concerned with protecting her body from more harm.

Itoro grabbed the back of her uniform and pulled her up. "What shall we do with her? Kill her?" He suggested. "Make a choice, Comora. She can't take anymore. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun to beat her until she dies." He made her lean against his chest with her back and wrapped a large hand around her neck, applying enough pressure to make her whimper softly.

"I have to admit I've wanted to watch her bleed to death slowly for a long time." Kaon added, smirking when Sianna's eyes widened significantly. "I bet it will be such an… interesting sight."

"She's been annoying us enough. We deserve to have some fun with her." Suno added.

"Keep your smelly hands off me!" Sianna snarled as she made an attempt to free herself. Itoro only placed a hand on her mouth to silence her. She was too weakened to put up a real fight, and she wouldn't have been a match for any of them at full strength either.

"I don't care." Comora shrugged. "What do you two say?"

"You know how I think about that." Gohan replied when Comora's eyes landed on him.

"But do we care what the babies think?" Itoro asked as he tightened his grip on Sianna's throat, making her whimper even more. "No." She opened her mouth and bit in his hand. The man growled loudly and pushed the girl away from him. "You little bitch!" He snarled. The girl got up and tried to run again, but Tobney grabbed her wrist, turning her around and locking her arms behind her back.

Itoro stepped closer to her. "Let me do the honors." He said as he grabbed her neck again and applied pressure. Tobney tightened his grip when the girl tried to free herself.

Gohan frowned and stepped closer, reaching out to help Sianna but Comora got in his way, grabbing the boy's arm and pushing the half-saiyan back. "Stand down. That's a direct order." Comora said strictly.

Gohan opened his mouth to reply but someone else beat him to it.

"Stop!" Sianna whispered, which was the only thing she could do right now. "Please. Stop." Itoro raised an eyebrow and loosened his grip. "I'm sorry. I'll do anything. Please don't kill me." She whispered with a hoarse voice.

Itoro looked at Comora, who motioned for him to release her. Sianna sank through her knees when Tobney released her as well. Comora sent Gohan a glance before turning to Sianna. "Are you going to listen to us from now on?"

"Yes sir." Sianna replied instantly, looking down, her dark blue eyes focusing on the ground.

"Good. Now then," Comora reached down and grabbed her by her arm, pulling her up on her feet. "You can start working right away. I'll show you to the supply closet." He did not give her any time to recover as he started walking, pulling her along with him. "Oh," He stopped and sent Gohan a glance over his shoulder. "I'll see you in my office, Gohan."

The half-saiyan saluted in response. He made a face once Comora was gone, his shoulders lowering.

Tobney tousled Gohan's hair cheerfully. "Gohan's in trouble!" He sang.

"Have fun in there." Itoro smacked on Gohan's back. "How long has it been since you were last in Comora's office?"

"Two days?" Suno suggested. "Or one? I think you broke your own record."

Gohan rolled his eyes. "You're enjoying this too much." He muttered under his breath before walking to the doorway.

"Hurry up, little monkey. Wouldn't want to make your master wait." Itoro's sarcastic voice followed him to the hallway, followed by the amused laughter of the others.

"Jerks." Gohan growled. They never supported him when he got in trouble for small things like this. It amused them too much.

Gohan reached Comora's office before the man was there, so he crawled on the windowsill and waited for the man there. When Comora entered the room, the man was surprised to see Gohan sit there. "Gohan." He moved up his hand to motion for Gohan to come closer, but he changed his mind and crossed the distance to the window himself.

Gohan turned his back on the window, letting his legs hang over the edge. "You wanted to talk to me?" He asked as he watched Comora walk closer.

The man waited until he reached the window before answering: "Today you almost started a fight with your comrades." Gohan lowered his gaze. "Look, I understand that you don't like what's going on right now. We had the same problem with Tobney when you first arrived, but you cannot under any circumstances let this ruin your relationship with your comrades." Comora sounded strict but sympathetic. "We are a team, Gohan, and you are a part of that team. We trust you and you cannot turn your back on us like that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I did help out during the whole chase thing though." He said in his own defense.

Comora nodded. "Yes, you did. And I'm very glad that you did so. I was afraid that you would refuse to participate, and it's very important to be one united front against her."

"I know. That's really effective." Gohan was looking down again, his mind going over his own first mission with the Suta Team.

Comora placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "We were a little hard on you." He admitted when Gohan looked up. The half-saiyan made a rather disgruntled sound and Comora chuckled lightly. "Hey, you gave us a hard time too. Besides, we turned you into a pretty good soldier. Vegeta helped a little too, of course."

Gohan smiled a little. "Thanks, I think."

Comora pulled back. "Honestly, we were way harder on Tobney than we ever were on you." He said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Really?" Gohan was interested in this. He really wanted to know more about their past, but they all avoided talking about it. "Tobney never really wants to tell me about it."

"I know. He asked us not to talk about it too." Comora seemed rather amused as he said this. Yet another thing Gohan knew nothing about.

"He did?"

"You know, everything we did to you during your first mission we already tested out on Tobney." Comora continued, crossing his arms over each other. "The difference between you and Tobney is that you were put in our team temporarily. You went with us on a mission and when we returned you went back to Vegeta." Gohan nodded to show that he was listening. "Tobney, however, was put under our care permanently. He joined us on our missions and he stayed under our supervision after that. We usually took turns watching him and Vegeta kept an eye on him whenever we all had time off. Aside from that, it took him at least a year to settle down and give up on escaping, and we can do a lot of punishments in one year."

Gohan shook his head slowly. "I can understand that he does not want to talk about it, or even be reminded of that…" He then realized what he was saying. "Not that staying with you guys is so horrible… But… You know…"

"I know."

Comora did not seem offended so Gohan decided to continue: "Why do you keep calling him puppy though? It's not like he looks like a dog or anything like that? Was it a nickname?"

The corners of Comora's mouth moved up a bit. "You can say that. Did you ever ask Vegeta about this?"

"Vegeta is in on that too?" Gohan exclaimed, frowning now. "That's just not fair..."

Comora chuckled again. "There is a reason why Tobney's eyes darken whenever you mention Vegeta. I think he still blames Vegeta for everything. Their relationship is still stiff after all these years..." Comora took a deep breath, staring at nothing. "I've often addressed the topic but neither of them is willing to talk about it."

Gohan frowned as he leaned back against the window. "I guess they never really see each other outside of meetings, and Tobney is never eager when Vegeta calls for him. Then again, I'm not eager to work with that man either. I just thought it was normal."

Comora slowly shook his head. "Forget about it. For now, just try to be a team player, okay? You're on our side, not hers."

Gohan nodded to show that he understood what Comora said. "I'll try. I can't make promises though."

"Fine." Comora's gaze became harder, his red eyes focusing on the half-saiyan. "But remember, next time you do something like you did today, I won't be as forgiving as I was today. You don't want to get on our bad side."

Gohan was about to say that he had been behaving just fine lately and that they had no reason to treat him badly only for giving his opinion, but he decided not to and responded affirmative. Comora let him go after that.

The half-saiyan ran into the young woman that was causing all the trouble lately. He watched as she cleaned the bathroom floor. They usually did not clean the ship at all while they were travelling. They would be in there for months and it would get very dirty. When they returned, the slaves would clean everything to prepare the ship for the next mission.

Gohan remembered when he had to clean the ship constantly on their first mission. It had been a way to keep Gohan busy and tired all day, just like the unnecessary cleaning job was now used to keep Sianna occupied.

"Are you going to continue staring at me?" Sianna snarled without looking up. When Gohan did not respond but just continued to lean against the doorpost in silence, she decided to continue: "You've got a nice right hook there. I forgot how painful your punches can be."

"If you're trying to make me feel guilty, don't. I could care less about what happens to you and I've been itching to smack you across the face for every insult that you've ever sent in my direction." Gohan's tone was smug, just like his expression.

She stood up fully now, stepping closer. "Well then. Why don't you?" He stopped right in front of him. Her gaze was fierce but not fierce enough to make the half-saiyan back down. "Comora told me that you can pretty much do whatever you want to me so if you want to hit me, you can get away with it easily."

"Can we now?" Gohan reached out and caressed her cheek in an almost tender way. She sent him a confused glance. She didn't really know how to respond to this. "I can think of more fun things to do with someone like you than just beating you up." It took Gohan a moment to realize what he just said. "I mean, like… Ordering you around and stuff like that..." He corrected himself, feeling a light blush appear on his cheeks.

"More fun things, huh? Do explain." A hint of a smile could be heard in her voice.

Gohan pulled away from her. "I'm supposed to be teasing you, and not the other way around." He complained as he turned away from her. The girl snickered and Gohan huffed. "I would continue my work if I were you. Comora does not like tardiness."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan turned a page of the book he was reading. His feet were propped up on the table and he was leaning back on his chair. Comora always told him off for placing his feet on the dinner table, but the man wasn't here right now so Gohan could stay like this for a while.

The half-saiyan flipped a page again and yawned, hiding his mouth behind his hand. "That's never going to happen." He said out loud as he lowered his hand back to the book.

Tobney made a disapproving sound as he got up. "I will scare you one day."

Gohan looked over his shoulder. "What do you want?" He asked as he shifted the book on his lap.

"Nothing. I'm just bored, I guess." Tobney replied before he stepped closer and placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders. "Let's play a game on the game computer."

Gohan looked back to his book. "Not interested. Find someone else."

"Oh come on. You don't have anything useful to do anyway." Tobney complained as he shook Gohan's shoulders. "Entertain me!"

"Contrary to what you might believe, this world does not revolve around you." Gohan said as he pushed one of Tobney's hands off his shoulder. "Stop that."

Sianna appeared with a drink. She placed the glass on the table, curtsied and turned to leave. Gohan thanked her without looking up from the book.

Tobney sat down and grabbed Gohan's drink, sipping from it. He offered Gohan's own drink to Gohan after that but the half-saiyan slowly shook his head. "She probably spit in it." He explained, his eyes still focused on the book.

Tobney made a disgusted face and placed the glass back on the table. "So? It doesn't matter for you, now does it? I bet you two will be exchanging saliva soon anyway."

The teasing tone in Tobney's voice made Gohan look up from his book. "I think you've had a little too many blows to the head. You're imagining things." His eyes moved back down to the book. This conversation was over.

"I am imagining things, huh? You two are fighting constantly. Plus, she always turns to you, hangs out with you and stays in your general direction." Tobney tapped on the book with his finger.

"That's just because I'm the only one who won't hurt her or order her around." Gohan was still not looking at his friend. "Well… Not all the time. I didn't ask her to bring this drink just now. Comora told her to do that." The boy's eyes moved to the glass. "Besides, I'm too young to have a crush."

"No way. I'd say you're just about the right age." Tobney leaned back on his seat and stared up at the ceiling, his voice casual. "I know! I'll just ask the others what they think about this topic." Tobney continued, earning Gohan's intense glare. "They are usually very good at sniffing things like this out…"

Gohan grumbled some rude things under his breath as he closed his book. "Fine. I'll play that stupid game with you." He said as he placed the book on the table.

"Then again, I can ask them some other time." Tobney said cheerfully as he jumped up. "You made the right choice, my friend. Let's go!"

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"Didn't you say the other day that you never order me around?" Sianna asked as she followed Gohan, her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

Gohan sent her a suspicious glance over his shoulder. "Did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Tobney?"

"No. You two were talking very loudly and I cannot shut off my ears."

"I think Gohan might be the worst master of all of us because he's used to everyone else ordering him around. Now that he can actually give orders to someone else, he might take it way further than any of us did." Tobney said in his wise voice.

Gohan's gaze landed on Tobney. "Don't you have anything to do? Train with Suno at four, which was fifteen minutes ago?"

Tobney made a shocked expression. "Oh no. He hates it when I'm late…" He muttered as he turned promptly and ran away.

Sianna looked at the watch on her wrist. "It's three-thirty." She stated as she looked up at her temporary master.

"I know." Gohan replied without looking back at her.

Sianna smiled a little as she followed the young warrior. "So, what are we going to do?" She asked when he did not say anything.

Gohan sent her a look over his shoulder. "I have no idea really..." He replied, making a face. "I know you're mine for a day and all that but I don't really have anything I want you to do."

"I thought you said you could easily think of more fun things to do with me." Sianna replied, repeating Gohan's own words.

Gohan frowned at the smile on her face. "Don't push it. I might make you do something really humiliating like massaging my feet. Vegeta did that often enough when I just started working here." He made a face as he thought about those moments. Luckily, it had been a while since Vegeta made him do that.

"You wouldn't be the first one." She frowned when Gohan sent her a smile. She should have known that Gohan would enjoy the thought of her massaging someone else's feet. "I wouldn't do it if I were you though. I'm a horrible massager. I tend to pinch people, especially people I don't like."

"I beg to differ." Gohan slowed down so he could walk next to her. "Word goes that you are very good at it. It's something about soft hands." This was not a lie. His comrades and even Vegeta admitted to taking advantage of Sianna's soft hands and massaging skills.

Sianna didn't reply so the half-saiyan assumed that he had won this particular verbal match. The young warrior checked his watch. "I have a meeting with Vegeta and Comora right now. Why don't you…." He stopped walking and eyed the young woman for a moment. He knew he was supposed to order her to do something but he really did not know what to make her do. "Eh… Do you know how to read?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Then go to the library and read the books and stay there until I get back." Gohan ordered as he pointed in the general direction of the library. Sianna only nodded and turned her back on him to go to the library.

Gohan let out a deep sigh before turning to the doorway, placing his palm on the scanner and entering the room. He was greeted by Comora, who was already talking to Vegeta. Gohan looked at his watch again. "Am I too late?" He asked, wondering if they got their signals crossed. He could have sworn Comora said three-forty.

"No, you're right on time." Comora sat down at his desk. "He's all yours." Gohan didn't know if Comora said this to Vegeta or to Gohan but he decided that it was his time to speak to the lord of the universe.

The half-saiyan walked until he could see the screen more clearly and he gave the official salute by placing two fingers against the side of his forehead. "Good day." He greeted, fully aware that he didn't add Vegeta's title.

"I wanted to talk to you," Vegeta said, getting down to business immediately as usual. "I want you to teach the girl how to fly. Oh, and teach her some basic combat so that she can defend herself if needed."

"Why?" Gohan's gaze moved to Comora and back to Vegeta. "She's just here as a slave. Why would she need to fly?"

"We're going to take her along on the mission." Comora replied, his eyes focusing on the half-saiyan. The man immediately gained Gohan's attention. "So that we can show her what we're capable of."

"What? Why?" Gohan looked back to Vegeta. "Explain this to me."

"I don't have to explain anything to you." Vegeta's response was something that Gohan already expected. "I tell you to do something and you do it, got it?"

"You're trying to scare her, aren't you?" Gohan clenched his fists as he stepped closer to the screen. "She knows what we do. She's not stupid. This won't work on her."

"It worked on you, didn't it?" The saiyan prince wasn't faced by Gohan's angry expression. He'd seen it before and didn't care about Gohan's emotions at all. "This is not up for discussion. I summoned you to tell you about your assignment, not ask for your permission."

"No." Gohan's reply successfully silenced Vegeta. Comora, who was leaning back on his seat, nearly fell backwards when Gohan said this. "I refuse."

A short silence.

"You cannot refuse my orders." Vegeta started, obviously trying to stay calm. "It's not even your job to question them."

"I don't want to do this, Vegeta."

"It's Lord Vegeta for you, runt."

"I don't want to do this!" Gohan's voice rose as he spoke. "I've done a lot of nasty things over these past few years that I've been working for you. Fixing things, persuading people, doing the dirty work that you don't want to do, but I draw the line here. I refuse."

"Oh really?" Vegeta leaned forwards as he spoke, his voice rising as well. "Have you forgotten our agreement?"

"Of course I haven't!" Gohan screamed back. Comora raised an eyebrow and pressed a button his on scouter, gauging Gohan's power level silently. "You can't keep using that against me!"

"It's a very powerful tool, isn't it? Alright. If you don't do this job for me, I might just send an entire army to your pathetic little planet."

"This is not fair!" Gohan's pounded on the ground with his boot once. "I am not leaving your army. I just don't want to do this job! Why can't anyone else do it? Suno or Tobney?"

"You're the only one who is patient enough to do it. Besides, you've been training with her before, right?"

"I don't want to do it!" Gohan clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white.

'You don't have a choice!"

"You can't keep doing this to me, Vegeta!" Gohan's power level flared as his anger grew. Comora's scouter beeped and the glass on the man's table shattered into pieces. Gohan glanced sideways, realized that Comora was gauging his power and turned away from both of them.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and continued to stare at the ground for a few seconds to gather his thoughts. When the young warrior turned around, Comora pressed on the button of his scouter and whistled to show that he was impressed with the number he saw at the time of Gohan's little outburst. Ignoring his squad leader, Gohan looked up at the screen that showed Vegeta.

"Find someone else." He stated firmly. "I can't do this job." He turned to walk to the door. His hand was just pressing on the button to open the door when Vegeta spoke again.

"If you don't do this I will kill every slave on the mothership, including your little Namekian friend." Vegeta's voice was low and calm, scary. Gohan froze as he stared at the hallway. The door was still open. "Don't think I won't do it. Slaves are easy for me to buy. They're all expendable. Just. Like. You."

Gohan didn't look back to them as he spoke in a similar calm tone. "I will start her training tomorrow." He stated, accepting the job Vegeta had for him. "Now if you'll excuse me." He left the room without saying anything else.

Comora looked up at his boss. "That went pretty much as I expected." He stated sweetly.

"When was the last time you disciplined him?" Vegeta asked, his cold gaze focusing on Comora.

"A long time ago." Comora replied as he got up. He walked around his desk and moved to a central position where Vegeta could see him easier. "I don't think that's necessary right now though. He took the job, didn't he?"

"He refused to take it before that though." Vegeta frowned at the doorway where Gohan just left. The door was still open. "He openly defied me and that cannot go unpunished."

"Then punish him." Comora spoke, earning Vegeta's attention. "When he gets back to the mothership. You can punish him for disobeying you and I can punish him for disobeying me. I have only ever punished him for disobeying me and not for disobeying anyone else."

Vegeta eyed Comora for a moment before he replied: "You're right." He leaned back on his seat. "I'll talk to him when you all return. Make sure that he teaches her how to fly."

"Yes sir." Comora saluted as well.

"That was all." Vegeta signed off without saying anything else. Something that most new warriors had to get used to but it was normal for someone who had been working with Vegeta for a long time.

Comora sat down at his desk and pressed a button on his scouter. "Kaon? Itoro? Meet me at my office. I want to talk to you." He was silent for a moment while he listened to their replies. "It's about Gohan..."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Please leave a review to let me know what you think!**

**See you next time!**


	18. Chapter 18: Toy Soldiers

**Hey there!**

**Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter!**

**Last time on Slave Soldier**

"_It's a rather last minute decision I made." Vegeta tapped on the desk with his finger. "The person I'm sending to you is a slave who was working at the pleasure quarters as a guard. She helped some of the working girls escape, and tried to get away herself." _

"_She?" Gohan interrupted as he sat up straight. "You're talking about Sianna?" This name seemed familiar to the others. They all exchanged glances and stood up a little straighter. _

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"_I don't want to do this!" Gohan's voice rose as he spoke. "I've done a lot of nasty things over these past few years that I've been working for you. Fixing things, persuading people, doing the dirty work that you don't want to do, but I draw the line here. I refuse." _

"_Oh really?" Vegeta leaned forwards as he spoke, his voice rising as well. "Have you forgotten our agreement?" _

"_Of course I haven't!" Gohan screamed back. Comora raised an eyebrow and pressed a button his on scouter, gauging Gohan's power level silently. "You can't keep using that against me!"_

"_It's a very powerful tool, isn't it? Alright. If you don't do this job for me, I might just send an entire army to your pathetic little planet."_

"_This is not fair!" Gohan's pounded on the ground with his boot once. "I am not leaving your army. I just don't want to do this job! Why can't anyone else do it? Suno or Tobney?"_

"_You're the only one who is patient enough to do it. Besides, you've been training with her before, right?" _

"_I don't want to do it!" Gohan clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. _

'_You don't have a choice!"_

"_You can't keep doing this to me, Vegeta!" Gohan's power level flared as his anger grew. Comora's scouter beeped and the glass on the man's table shattered into pieces. Gohan glanced sideways, realized that Comora was gauging his power and turned away from both of them. _

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_Comora sat down at his desk and pressed a button on his scouter. "Kaon? Itoro? Meet me at my office. I want to talk to you." He stayed silent for a moment while he listened to their replies. "It's about Gohan..."_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz or anything of the characters. **

**Chapter 18. Toy Soldiers**

Gohan was staring out the large window. The boy was preparing to go to bed early today. He did not have any training sessions or other engagements tonight and he planned on starting Sianna's training early the next morning so she could spend the rest of the day doing her chores.

The half-saiyan had thrown his armor and uniform aside earlier because he preferred to wear pajamas when he was sleeping. The others had similar traditions. While he was pulling on his pants, Gohan was distracted by a beautiful star that they travelled passed. Now, he was leaning on the windowsill with his hands and studying the world outside. The universe could be beautiful.

A pair of hands landed on his naked shoulders, making Gohan flinch. The boy looked back at Tobney. "You startled me." He stated.

"Really?" Tobney grinned. "I finally did. Not paying attention to our surroundings, are we?"

Gohan looked back out the window as he shrugged. "Enjoy that once in a lifetime opportunity." He said.

"Ooooh, you said no to Vegeta? You daredevil." Tobney teased.

The half-saiyan pushed the man's hands off his shoulders. "Damn it. I should have realized what you were doing." He muttered as he walked to his bed. "You're not allowed to read our minds, remember?"

Tobney shrugged. "Technically, the guys forbid me to read their minds when I just started working here. You came along later and were never included in the deal."

Gohan scoffed as he grabbed his shirt. The boy sat down on his bed and sighed. He could feel Tobney's powers prodding his mind but now that there was no physical contact or even eye-contact, it was difficult for the man to read his mind. "Stop that." He ordered, glaring at his friend.

"Then tell me what's going on." Tobney sat down next to him. "What did he want you to do?"

"He wants me to teach Sianna how to fly. We're going to take her along on the mission." Gohan explained, sighing again.

"You should have seen that coming." Tobney's bright blue eyes moved to the large shower room. The sound of running water could be hear, which probably meant that someone was taking a shower in there.

"Do you know what she will see when she joins us?" Gohan slowly shook his head. "She may have been through a lot but I don't think she has ever seen a dead person. She's going to see loads of them now. She's going to watch them die a painful death. She's going to see horrible things and we are the ones who are doing those horrible things."

"Don't you think you're mostly worried about what she will think of you after she's seen you purge a planet?"

Gohan frowned at him. "Don't go there."

Tobney laughed. "Oh, I went there years ago. Remember when you used to tease me with my girlfriends and I promised you that I would get back at you eventually. Welcome to my hell, my friend."

The half-saiyan rolled his eyes. "Well, at least you were really romantically involved with those girls." He countered as he shifted back on the bed and crossed his legs over each other.

"Gohan. There is nothing you can do about this. This is going to happen whether you want it or not." Tobney's voice sounded sympathetic. He knew how hard this was on Gohan. "And you can't say no to Vegeta. He's not going to let you get away with that."

"I know. It was a stupid thing to do… But I can't just let them walk over me like that. I had to show that I really did not want to have anything to do with this. That I disapprove." Gohan looked up at Tobney. "I had to do something."

"Because you're you." Tobney tousled Gohan's hair as a smirk appeared on his face. "The hero in you cannot be tamed."

"Tobney?" Comora appeared in the doorway. "Oh Gohan. You're here too." He stated. "Of course. I sent Gohan to work in the library and Tobney had to do his chores on the other side of the ship and you two still find a way to meet in the same room."

"That's the power of friendship, Comora." Gohan said cheerfully.

"Yeah right." The man pointed to the hallway. "Tobney. You haven't finished your paperwork. Get to it." He ordered. Tobney nodded in response. "Gohan. You're going to bed?" The man noticed Gohan's comfortable attire and figured the boy was getting ready to get in his bed.

The half-saiyan nodded. "Yes. I was planning to. With all this extra work that I have to do I'd better get a good night's rest." Gohan replied as he grabbed his shirt again. He'd left it lying around on his lap while he was talking to Tobney.

Comora sent the half-saiyan a smirk. "Right. Better get in your bed then."

"Here. Let me help you put on your shirt!" Tobney snatched Gohan's shirt from his hands and pushed it onto Gohan's head, but in such a way that the boy was only getting entangled in the shirt.

"Tobney! What the..!" Gohan complained as he grabbed his shirt and tried to pull it up and away from his head.

The older warrior grinned as he used Gohan's confusion to throw the boy back on the bed.

Gohan squealed as he fell back, and Tobney pulled the shirt down over Gohan's head again, pushing Gohan's hands away when the boy tried to pull off the shirt. Comora leaned against the doorway, smirking at the sight of the two laughing and wrestling boys. He should probably tell them off, telling them to behave and get to work, but he did not really want to. The two warriors deserved some time off. Sometimes.

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"50 crunches?" Sianna repeated as she raised an eyebrow. Her face was already red from earlier exercises and she was still panting. "You make me do those awful stretches, tell me to run ten laps around the entire training room and now you expect me to do 50 crunches?"

"Ten at a time with a few seconds rest in between them." Gohan nodded as he looked up at her.

Sianna made a frustrated sound. "This doesn't make any sense. I don't need that to fly."

"In order to fly, you need to have a strong body and a strong mind." Gohan said patiently. "That's why you will be doing this entire routine every morning from now on."

"Every morning?" Sianna sat down on the ground, looking utterly defeated.

Gohan sent her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You will get used to it in no time."

She frowned at the half-saiyan. "Why are you not exercising?"

"This is nothing compared to what Comora makes us do every morning." Gohan rolled his shoulders a few time. "My daily torture will start right after breakfast."

Sianna had been a pain from the moment Gohan found her sitting on the ground, cleaning the floor of the showers. She accepted the energy bar Gohan gave her, but ever since then she'd been complaining. Sianna refused to put up her beloved long black hair, until Gohan threatened to get the others and cut it all off. The boy was planning on helping Sianna stretch if needed, and after that he wanted to meditate while she did her new morning routine, but she kept him from doing that. She wanted him to suffer along with her.

Sianna made a face. "I don't want to."

"Poor thing." Gohan closed his eyes, deciding to ignore her and start meditating anyway. "I have to teach you how to fly or I'll be in trouble. So you are going to learn how to fly whether you want it or not."

The young woman eyed Gohan for a moment. "How much trouble will you be in?"

"You're not the only one who will get whipped after disobeying Comora." Gohan replied, still keeping his eyes closed.

Sianna slowly lay back and started doing the crunches. Gohan opened his eyes for a moment to watch her but when she glanced back at him he quickly closed them again.

After she did the crunches and push-ups, Gohan sat down with her and tried to help her focus her energy. The two kept at it for the next two hours until the others started to get in.

"How is it going here?" Comora asked as he stopped next to them.

Gohan smiled at Sianna. "Show him."

Sianna concentrated on her two cupped hands and after a few seconds a small orb of light appeared between them.

"After just one morning?" Comora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's like she's made for it." Gohan replied as he looked up. "It went so easy."

"You've been helping me very well." Sianna said after she let the orb disappear. "It's not just me. I have a good teacher."

Gohan smiled back at her. Comora's gaze went from Gohan to Sianna and back. "What's going on here? You two always argue. This is not arguing."

Tobney passed them. "There's a thin line between enemies and lovers. Looks like this one has been crossed." He said in a rather teasing tone, earning a glare from Gohan and Sianna.

"What? I don't approve of that." Comora placed his hands on his hips as his angry gaze landed on Gohan, as if he was the only one responsible.

"No. Tobney is just being a jerk. As per usual!" He yelled the last thing at his friend.

Sianna seemed to agree with this. "Don't worry. I don't fall in love with traitorous animals." She mentioned to Comora.

The half-saiyan scoffed as he got up. "There you go." He said to Comora. "I'm not her type."

"Right." Comora watched Gohan get up. "Gohan. Why don't you get some food in you while we start the morning exercises? Sianna. You can practice what you learned this morning."

Gohan showed the official salute by placing two fingers against his forehead before he turned and left the training room. Sianna watched him go until Comora ushered her to get up and move to a corner of the room so she wouldn't get in the way.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Three hours later**

Gohan was slammed into the wall of the training room. He placed a hand on the wall behind him as he doubled over. His stomach was hurting. Very bad.

The half-saiyan looked up and quickly moved aside to avoid being squashed by a boot. Tobney made a disappointed sound. "Damn it." He said as a grin appeared on his face. "I almost made myself some mashed saiyan. Delicious." He teased as he floated back.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I saw you coming from miles away." Gohan taunted, still rubbing over his stomach.

"Are you okay there? I didn't punch you too hard, did I?" Tobney tilted his head sideways as he studied the half-saiyan.

Gohan cracked his knuckles. "I'd worry more about your own health if I were you."

"You two are having a nice tea party here." Suno appeared right next to Gohan. "It's about time I break it up."

"Why don't you go play with the other geezers and let the young people have fun?" Tobney's white pupils moved to Suno as he slowly powered up.

"Gohan. What do you say we find out how loud Tobney can scream in pain?" Suno suggested as he glanced sideways to the young warrior.

A grin appeared on Gohan's face. "That's the best idea I've heard all day."

"Good luck. You two weaklings will have to catch me first." Tobney got in a fighting stance, waiting for them to make the first move.

The young saiyan chuckled. "Weaklings, huh?" The boy tensed his muscles as he let his power built up. Gohan could feel the energy rushing through his body. His hair levitated up, turning gold and when he opened his teal eyes, they met Tobney's rather jealous gaze. The super saiyan transformation always caused jealousy among his comrades. They might be strong but they could not transform.

Gohan was the first to attack. He pulled back a fist to punch Tobney but the older warrior moved up his arm to block the attack. Meanwhile, Suno tried to kick Tobney right in the stomach but Tobney's knee blocked his lower leg.

The half-saiyan whirled around in the air and tried to punch Tobney again while Suno avoided a kick from Tobney. The psychic flew up to avoid Gohan's second punch but the two warriors followed him quickly.

Tobney was forced back by the next few attacks. Gohan appeared behind the older warrior and gave him a push, forcing Tobney to fly right into Suno's fist. The psychic was forced back as he rubbed over his cheek. Tobney caught Gohan next fist but the half-saiyan pushed closer to him, forcing Tobney's arm to bend a little.

The half-saiyan's eyes were shining with glee. "Do I see a look of fear in your eyes?" He mocked as he pushed Tobney back.

"Fear you? Don't make me laugh."

Gohan suddenly pulled back and pulled Tobney's arm with him, forcing the man to stretch his arm so that Suno could push his elbow right into his stretched arm. Tobney let out a scream when his brain registered the pain that was connected to this event.

"Scream number one." Suno said cheerfully, earning a laugh from Gohan. "I think he can go louder."

"I'm sure of it." The half-saiyan agreed.

"You're not supposed to team up on me, you know." Tobney complained as he rubbed over his wounded arm. "This is a free for all."

"So we're free to do whatever we want, and I'm having fun." Gohan countered. The boy floated closer to Tobney and made a mock-worried face. "Unless you can't take the heat."

Tobney narrowed his eyes and attacked Gohan, trying to punch the boy but the half-saiyan grabbed his fist and threw Tobney to Suno. The older warrior caught Tobney by handing out a kick to him, which Tobney blocked by bringing up his hand.

Gohan appeared behind Tobney and tried to elbow the man in his back, but Tobney whirled around to catch it and turned back around just in time to catch Suno's punch. Suno glanced at something behind Tobney. The oldest warrior tried to punch Tobney again and when Tobney blocked his punch, he grabbed the man's wrist and used his arm as leverage to make Tobney turn around.

Tobney was faced with Gohan, who was preparing a blast only for him, and sent it. The psychic gave an involuntary scream as he was launched backwards, straight into the wall once more.

"This one was louder." Gohan cheered as he powered up, his hair flowing gracefully behind him.

Suno nodded in response and they patiently waited for Tobney to recover from the latest attack. "I liked the first one better." Suno added.

"It's not about which one we like best, it's about which scream is the loudest." Gohan replied, his brown tail wagging behind him.

"This is unbelievable." Tobney muttered to himself as he watched them casually discuss how much pain they could inflict on him.

Suno realized that Tobney was ready to continue. "Maybe the third time's a charm?" He suggested, glancing at Gohan.

"Let's find out!" Gohan charged at Tobney, followed closely by his comrade.

A little while later, Gohan was helping Tobney walk out the training room. The older warrior was pretty beaten up by now. He was having trouble walking, which was why Gohan was helping him walk and a lot of blood was coming from the man's shoulder. This latest injury was the reason that Suno and Gohan decided to stop teaming up against Tobney and focused on each other again. Not much later, Comora called them to say that they should stop for now.

"What happened?" Comora asked when he saw Tobney's injuries.

"They happened." Tobney growled back, pushing against Gohan's shoulder.

Suno and Gohan exchanged glances. "We just played a game and Tobney lost." Suno explained while Gohan grinned innocently.

Comora chuckled before he reached out to grab Tobney's chin, forcing the boy to look up so he could check out his facial injuries. "Let's get you to a rejuvenation tank." He stated after Tobney pulled away. "Gohan. Take care of that. The rest of you can take a shower and clean up. We have a lot of paperwork to take care of so we'll have to work hard for the rest of the day."

A few whining sounds could be heard and Comora shrugged. "It's our job, guys." He stated before turning to the doorway.

Gohan helped Tobney walk all the way to the medical room, where he helped Tobney get out of his uniform and armor. He opened the tank and watched as Tobney sat down in it.

After closing the tank and activating the healing program, Gohan walked to the closet that was filled with towels, grabbed one and placed it on the table for Tobney to use afterwards. The man would be able to choose his own uniform later. Gohan just wanted to make sure that Tobney was completely healed before he would go to the showers to clean himself up.

"Gohan." Sianna made a worried face as she approached him. "You're all beaten up." She stated as she placed a hand on his cheek.

Gohan had been so deep in thoughts that he did not notice that Sianna had entered the room. The half-saiyan shrugged. "Don't worry. I'm not the one in the tank." He stated, watching as she grabbed a small washing cloth and held it under the water tap. She approached him again. "Wha..?" Gohan started but Sianna placed a finger on his lips.

"Ssshh.." She uttered before she gently started to dab the wet cloth against his cheek, cleaning the blood off his face. The half-saiyan studied her silently as she cleaned his cheek and then moved away to clean the cloth, only to come back to clean a wound on his forehead.

"There… Just a couple more to go and you'll be good as new." Sianna said as a small smile appeared on her face. She pulled away but Gohan grabbed her hand. She looked up at him, and only now realized how close they were standing together.

The timer of the tank beeped loudly and Sianna and Gohan looked sideways. There Tobney was sitting in the tank, his eyes wide open and a somewhat amused expression on his face. The two teenagers stepped away from each other. Sianna threw the cloth in the laundry basket and started gathering the laundry to clean it, while Gohan moved to the computer and opened the tank.

"Don't say anything." Gohan said as he threw the towel at Tobney. His friend grinned as he started to rub his body dry.

"Not a word." Tobney agreed, still sounding amused.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

As a member of the Suta Team, a man's duties were not only to cause death and destruction on particular planets, but also to write it all down neatly. Since their mission was extended, most of the Suta Team members neglected their reports of the previous planet because it would still be a couple of days until they arrived on the next planet.

Comora, however, did not like it when his team was slacking off on their reports, so he decided that they were going to sit down and stay there until the reports were finished.

Gohan stretched his arms and body before he leaned on the table with his elbows, tapping against the keyboard with his finger. The half-saiyan was about to get up when Comora's voice stopped him. "Stay." He said without looking up from his laptop.

"This is boring." Gohan complained as he looked at his squad leader. "We still have ages to finish those reports. Why do we have to write them anyway? It doesn't make any sense."

"This is what happens when you employ children." Comora muttered while typing something. He looked up. "You're not going anywhere until you're done."

Tobney leaned over to Gohan's laptop and looked at the file. "You still have got loads to do." He said as he looked Gohan's work over. "You'll be here for a while."

Gohan got up, earning a frown from Comora. "Sit down, Gohan." He ordered. The half-saiyan ignored him and pushed his chair closer to the table. "Gohan. If I have to get up you'll be in serious trouble."

"Chill." Gohan replied as he reached down and grabbed his empty glass. "I'm just getting something to drink."

"You can ask Sianna to get you something to drink."

"This will be a lot faster." Gohan rolled his eyes as he turned to the kitchen. The boy walked to the kitchen, obviously disobeying Comora's orders. The other soldiers sent quick glances in Comora's direction but the man didn't notice it. His gaze was focused on the disobedient half-saiyan.

***** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"I can fly!" Sianna cheered as she floated in the air. Her long black hair was floating around her as she looked down at the ground to see how high up she was.

"Well, you can hover." Gohan corrected, smiling a little. It had only taken Sianna three days to learn how to fly. It was like she was really made for it.

Sianna focused her energy and flew up higher. "Don't go up too high." Gohan warned as he looked up. "You might run out of energy and fall."

"I'm not worried. I'm sure you'll catch me." Sianna said as she grinned down at him.

Gohan rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." He replied. Watching her fall might actually be quite amusing.

Sianna stuck out her tongue to him but then she seemed to lose focus and she fell down. Gohan frowned, took a total of three steps and held out his arms so he could catch her. Sianna landed right in his outstretched arms, her mouth open in an "oh" when she realized where she was.

The young woman wrapped her arms around his neck. "My hero." She said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"I told you you would fall." Gohan stated as he held her.

"And I said that you would catch me." Sianna grinned at him as she released Gohan's neck with one hand and tapped on his nose with her finger.

Gohan had been waiting for her to release her strong hold on his neck and now that she had, he moved his arms down, dropping her to the ground. Sianna fell down, yelping when her body made contact with the ground.

"You said nothing about me holding you though." Gohan stated before he stepped over her body and walked away.

Sianna sent him a glare. "Why I ought a…" She jumped up. "Come back here, you little runt!" She ran after him and jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders.

Gohan did not expect her to actually attack him, which is why he hadn't turned around. "Get off me, woman!" He yelled at her.

"You can't just dump a lady on the ground." Sianna snarled at him.

"Thanks for the advice. Next time I see a lady I'll make sure to remember that!" Gohan growled back.

"You little brat!" She clenched her fists and rubbed her knuckles into his skull. "You're going to pay for that!"

The half-saiyan stumbled forwards, his hands up in the air to protect himself from her attacks, and when she wrapped her legs around his waist she accidentally bumped against his leg, making him trip over his own feet and fall to the ground, Sianna landing right on top of him.

"She got me to the ground." Gohan groaned. "This is unbelievable."

"Sucks. Doesn't it?" Sianna taunted over his shoulder. Her black hair was falling all over his shoulders and face and he pushed his body up so that he could throw her off.

Sianna landed on the ground next to him. She narrowed her eyes and jumped back at him, pushing against his shoulders and pushing him back into a lying position. She momentarily wondered if Gohan let her push him down, just to find out what she was planning on doing next.

"Why?" Gohan asked, looking up at her.

"You dropped me on the ground. I won't let you go until you beg me for mercy." Sianna replied, leaning over him.

Gohan laughed loudly in response to this, making her frown at him. "I must say that this is the most unthreatening situation in which I've heard _that _particular sentence." He teased, leaning his head back. "Now please tell me. After Vegeta, Comora and numerous of other soldiers, what are _you_ going to do to me that will be so horrible that I will beg you for mercy?"

"Never underestimate a woman." Sianna smirked at him.

"I wouldn't dare." Gohan muttered dryly before he pushed against her hand and freed himself from her grip, turning them both around in the process. The boy landed on top of her and pinned her hands to the floor. "Now, please continue to tell me how you are going to torture me."

Sianna struggled and let out a growl when he only tightened his grip. The boy studied her silently, finding her reaction interesting. He did not often deal with women. Most of his opponents were men and all his enemies usually reacted or behaved in similar ways. Sianna, however, felt different. Her skin was softer. That was the first thing he noticed. Her soft grunts in effort sounded different from the normal growls and grunts he heard from men. Finally, the intense gaze that she sent him, made his stomach tighten a little. It was a strange feeling.

"Let me go." She ordered.

"You started it." Gohan replied, raising both eyebrows at her. "Are you still going to make me pay?"

Sianna made a face at him. "Fine. You win. Let me go."

A smirk appeared on Gohan's face. "It's no fun if you give up like that. I've been training you. I made you stronger. You can do better than this. Fight me."

"You're like ten times stronger than me." Sianna said logically.

"I'm asking you to fight me, not to defeat me."

Sianna started to struggle again but it only took her several seconds to give up again. She was somewhat out of breath by now. Drops of sweat were running down her forehead. She'd been training before this as well, and all that effort was getting to her.

"It's not working, is it?" Gohan asked, somewhat amused that she actually listened to him.

The young woman gazed up at him, and Gohan frowned. What was that look she was giving him? Sianna moved her head up and pressed her lips on his mouth. Gohan was so shocked that he jumped back, tripped over his own feet and fell down.

Sianna laughed as she got up. "That was easy." She teased as she placed her hands on her hips.

"That's not fair!" Gohan complained while he got up too, a frown on his face.

"All is fair in love and war." Sianna looked rather pleased with herself. "Maybe I wanted to kiss you." She suggested.

Gohan felt like his mind was being blown right now. What was she trying to do? "Well… Did you?" He asked.

A grin appeared on her face. "I guess you'll never find out." She stated before she walked to the doorway of the training room. Gohan stared at her back until she was out of sight.

The boy briefly considered asking Tobney to look into her mind to find out whether she just kissed him to win their little battle or not. Though then he would have to tell Tobney what happened and what he wanted to know and his friend would never let him live that down.

Gohan scoffed. "Women." He muttered.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Several days later the whole team was gathered in the large control room.

Gohan could not stop frowning at the situation. Tobney placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stop making that angry face. It will ruin your good looks." He teased softly. He didn't want Comora to hear him.

The half-saiyan scoffed but he did soften his frown. "This doesn't make any sense." He whispered back. "Why do we have to torture her like this?"

"There's nothing you can do about it, Gohan."

"I know that." Gohan snarled back at Tobney. The older warrior pulled back his hand. The sweet moment was over. Gohan let out a breath. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault."

"Don't worry about it." Tobney sent the half-saiyan a smile. "You're not the first one to yell at me."

Comora pressed on the button to open the door and turned to his squad. "Okay. It's time to leave. We go there, do our job and get out of there." The soldiers gathered around the door. "Sianna. You will join us and watch our performance."

"I just don't understand why? What can I do?" Sianna asked, sending the man a confused glance.

"You can be so scared by our horrible deeds that you'll be an obedient slave from now on." Gohan said sarcastically.

"What?" Sianna asked as her gaze moved to Gohan.

"He's trying to scare you." Gohan replied.

"Shut up." Comora said as he stepped closer to the half-saiyan.

"Trying to scare me? Why?"

"Because," Gohan stated as his eyes moved to Comora, "that worked on me."

His squad leader disappeared and reappeared in front of Gohan, pulling back a hand and smacking Gohan across the face. "I told you to shut up!"

"What's wrong? Can't handle the truth?" Gohan asked. Tobney placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder to warn him but the boy shrugged it off.

"If I tell you to shut up you will shut up, got it?" Comora snarled as he glared down at the boy. "You're coming very close to insubordination right now. I would step down if I were you, soldier."

Gohan stepped forwards. "I don't care about that. You're sending an innocent girl out there to see…" Comora heard enough and he pulled back his hand to hit the half-saiyan again, but this punch never reached him.

Tobney was standing in front of Gohan, holding out his arms in a protective way. Comora stared at the two warriors and he only received two stubborn glances in return.

The squad leader turned away from them and walked to the doorway. "Let's get this over with." He stated.

Gohan placed a hand on his cheek where Comora hit him. Sianna started walking next to him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Gohan sent her a smile.

"I can't believe he just hit you like that." She whispered as they flew up in the sky.

"Why? They've been hitting you." Gohan reached out to brush over one of the many bruises on her face. "Why would he be hesitant to hit someone else?" Sianna shrugged in response so Gohan continued. "He usually isn't this violent. This whole situation is just getting on his nerve."

"So it's my fault." Sianna said as her gaze moved to Comora, who was flying near but not near enough to overhear their conversation.

"No." Gohan realized his own mistake. "No... It's me and my big mouth. That's what brought this on."

Tobney appeared next to them. "Gohan has the tendency to test people's patience. Strange that you haven't noticed that yet with all the time you two have been spending together."

"I think you're confusing me with yourself. You're the one who tends to get on people's nerves. Like right now." Gohan replied, sending his friend a glare.

"But you helped him." Sianna stated, smiling at him.

Tobney's smile faded and he shrugged. "Of course."

"No. It's not that obvious. The others didn't do anything." Sianna replied, shaking her head.

Tobney shrugged as he looked ahead. "We kids need to look out for each other." He said in a more serious voice. "Besides, the way things were going your little fight was going to put us behind schedule."

"And we can't have that." Sianna said, smiling.

"It was purely selfish." Tobney added, nodding.

Meanwhile, Comora was making the teams. "Itoro and Kaon can take the south. Gohan and Tobney can take care of the northern area. Sianna and Suno can stay here with me and we'll work our way towards each other. Got it?"

"You're splitting me and Sianna up. Good call." Gohan's sarcastic voice made Comora growl in anger.

"I could split you and Tobney up if you want." Comora suggested. Gohan shook his head and the man nodded. "Good. Then don't complain."

Comora explained a few more things, relayed a few more messages and they agreed to meet up several hours later to see how they were progressing. Gohan and Tobney were stretching their limbs for a moment when Comora came up to them.

The large man appeared right in front of Gohan, who was leaning over to stretch his lower leg, and pulled the boy up in a standing position. Gohan was too surprised to react when Comora leaned closer and growled a message to him. "This childish behavior of yours is over, got it? I am still in charge of this ship and if you don't want to spend the rest of this journey locked up in your room you'd better get your act together and obey to my rules." The man extended his free hand sideways when Tobney came closer to stop the young warrior. "Stay there, Tobney." He snarled sideways before turning back to the frowning half-saiyan. "From now on you will obey my orders without complaining or bitching about every single decision I make, am I clear?"

"Crystal clear." Gohan replied.

"Good. Now get to work, brat." Comora pushed the half-saiyan, forcing Gohan to take a couple of steps back, and turned away from them.

Sianna opened her mouth to say something but Comora pushed her away from the two younger teenagers and forced her to follow him.

Gohan crossed his arms over each other as he watched them fly away. Tobney noticed the expression on the boy's face. "Whatever you're thinking. Forget it." Tobney stated warningly. "I like you in one piece."

The half-saiyan kept his gaze on Comora for a moment longer but then turned to his friend. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything foolish. I might want to, but I won't do it."

"Let's go then." Tobney said as he motioned for Gohan to follow him. The half-saiyan decided to listen to his friend and the two warriors headed north.

They flew in silence for a while. Tobney glanced at the half-saiyan, looked down at the planet, glanced at Gohan, looked ahead, and then glanced at Gohan again.

"If you've got something to say, say it." Gohan said, finding this behavior very annoying.

"You should stop being so difficult, Gohan." Tobney started as he floated closer to Gohan so they could talk without having to shout. "This whole situation with Sianna is making the relationship between you two so difficult. The missions have been going very well lately. You're a great asset to our team and we work well together. The others started to accept and even like you and you want to throw everything away for some girl?"

"She's not just some girl." Gohan replied, making a face afterwards. He did not plan on giving Tobney more teasing ammunition. "This whole situation isn't fair."

"I know." Tobney exclaimed. "But there's nothing you can do about it. They won't listen to you and you're just getting yourself in trouble."

"They might listen to me." Gohan persisted. "I work with Vegeta every day."

"As his assistant, Gohan." Tobney stated, shaking his head. "You're nothing more than a walking and talking coffee machine."

Gohan frowned as he looked ahead. "You don't have to be such a jerk about it."

Rolling his eyes, Tobney tried once more. "You need to understand that you as a soldier are expendable." He said. "And I'm not trying to put you down or anything. I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't want lord Vegeta to…" He took a deep breath. "I would be sad if you wouldn't be around anymore, okay?"

The half-saiyan slowly shook his head. "You're blowing this way out of proportion. Everything's just fine." He responded. "Let's just get this job over with, okay? We go there, we purge this planet and we go back to the mother ship. I know I could use a long relaxing shower after this one."

"Right." Tobney sent the half-saiyan a smile but the smile disappeared as soon as Gohan looked away. Tobney chewed on his lower lip for a moment and then opened his mouth. "Gohan?"

"Hmmm?" Gohan glanced sideways.

"I…" Tobney hesitated and shook his head. "Just... Be careful. This mission might be more difficult than it is." He said, lying to his best friend once more.

"Of course, but that's the thrill, isn't it?" Gohan grinned as he looked ahead again, his tail wagging behind him in excitement. "Not knowing what's going to happen. Every day is a new surprise."

"That it is." Tobney muttered, but the surprise that Tobney was thinking about would be a surprise Gohan would not like. Not at all.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think.**

**Until next time!**


	19. Chapter 19: When It All Falls Apart

**Hey guys,**

**It's been a while since I updated this story and I finished this chapter a couple of days ago but I did not really feel like updating it. There are some stupid mistakes I made while writing this story and I don't like doing that. I feel like it ruins the story. I needed some time to recover from my own stupidity and figure out how I am going to fix it.**

**Gohan's first transformation to a super saiyan happened during the three-year gap. I did not make a big deal out of it in this story. I need him to be used to the super saiyan level right now so I'm not going to change that. It was supposed to be like that. I didn't realize that you guys would like to read about Gohan's first transformation.**

**For now, only Gohan, Vegeta and I know what happened when Gohan experienced his first transformation. Vegeta is a super saiyan too. If you guys really want to know, I can write a flashback which explains it all. I don't know when I can fit that in just yet, but I will.**

**I apologize for this inconvenience. **

**Moving on:**

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

"_I don't want to do this!" Gohan's voice rose as he spoke. "I've done a lot of nasty things over these past few years that I've been working for you. Fixing things, persuading people, doing the dirty work that you don't want to do, but I draw the line here. I refuse." _

"_Oh really?" Vegeta leaned forwards as he spoke, his voice rising as well. "Have you forgotten our agreement?" _

_(…)_

"_I don't want to do it!" Gohan clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. _

'_You don't have a choice!"_

"_You can't keep doing this to me, Vegeta!" Gohan's power level flared as his anger grew. Comora's scouter beeped and the glass on the man's table shattered into pieces. Gohan glanced sideways, realized that Comora was gauging his power and turned away from both of them. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Comora sat down at his desk and pressed a button on his scouter. "Kaon? Itoro? Meet me at my office. I want to talk to you." He stayed silent for a moment while he listened to their replies. "It's about Gohan..."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Ooooh, you said no to Vegeta? You daredevil." Tobney teased._

_The half-saiyan pushed the man's hands off his shoulders. "Damn it. I should have realized what you were doing." He muttered as he walked to his bed. "You're not allowed to read our minds, remember?"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Do you know what she will see when she joins us?" Gohan slowly shook his head. "She may have been through a lot but I don't think she has ever seen a dead person. She's going to see loads of them now. She's going to watch them die a painful death. She's going to see horrible things and we are the ones who are doing those horrible things." _

"_Don't you think you're mostly worried about what she will think of you after she's seen you purge a planet?" _

_Gohan frowned at him. "Don't go there." _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The young woman gazed up at him, and Gohan frowned. What was that look she was giving him? Sianna moved her head up and pressed her lips on his mouth. Gohan was so shocked that he jumped back, tripped over his own feet and fell down. _

_Sianna laughed as she got up. "That was easy." She teased as she placed her hands on her hips. _

"_That's not fair!" Gohan complained while he got up too, a frown on his face. _

"_All is fair in love and war." Sianna looked rather pleased with herself. "Maybe I wanted to kiss you." She suggested. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Tobney sent the half-saiyan a smile but the smile disappeared as soon as Gohan looked away. Tobney chewed on his lower lip for a moment and then opened his mouth. "Gohan?"_

"_Hmmm?" Gohan glanced sideways. _

"_I…" Tobney hesitated and shook his head. "Just... Be careful. This mission might be more difficult than it seems." He said, lying to his best friend once more. _

"_Of course, but that's the thrill, isn't it?" Gohan grinned as he looked ahead again, his tail wagging behind him in excitement. "Not knowing what's going to happen. Every day is a new surprise."_

"_That it is." Tobney muttered, but the surprise that Tobney was thinking about would be a surprise Gohan would not like. Not at all. _

**Moving on~**

**Chapter 19. When It All Falls Apart…**

"Man," Gohan said as he appeared next to his comrade and good friend Tobney, "these guys are tough."

"Is it too tough for you?" Tobney mocked as he eyed the planet. They just finished off an entire group of warriors and they were tired. It had been a long time since they actually had trouble defeating the local warriors.

"I said tough not too tough." Gohan replied as he shook his head. "I was just wondering whether it was getting too much for you. You're panting, you know."

"You are too." Tobney pointed out accusingly.

"I'm panting way less than you are." Gohan crossed his arms and moved his nose up in the air to show his superiority. "I am so doing this mission better than you."

"Oh really?" Tobney turned to Gohan fully. "Wanna bet on that? Person who gets the least blood on his armor and uniform wins."

Gohan turned to Tobney. "Okay. What's the punishment?" He asked eagerly. He was definitely winning this bet.

"The person who loses has to give the winner a foot massage." Tobney stated, nodding.

That was a small price to pay. "You're not very sure of yourself, are you?" Gohan teased as he floated closer to his friend.

"Okay. A foot massage and a back massage." Tobney tried again.

"The loser has to be the winner's servant for a week." Gohan offered as he placed his hands on his hips. "That should make this game a lot more interesting."

"Okay. Fine." Tobney extended his hand to Gohan. "It's a deal."

Gohan shook Tobney's hand. "You are going to lose." Gohan said as he turned away from his friend. "I already know what I'm going to order you to do."

"Don't start celebrating just yet!" Tobney followed Gohan when the half-saiyan flew away.

Gohan was the first one to find a new city and he dove right down to it. There he started to destroy the buildings and houses. He tuned out the sounds coming from down there. The screams. The crying. The pleading. Gohan pursed his lips for a moment when he saw a group of children running around on the ground and he quickly sent a blast in that direction. An instant death was less painful.

"You're letting your thoughts wander." Tobney said in a sing-song voice. "Enemies can notice that guilty expression from miles away."

"Shut up." Gohan snarled back before he extended his other hand and continued to send blasts with both hands.

Tobney followed Gohan's example and started sending blasts with two hands. "Don't let your emotions interfere." He called over to Gohan. "It will only make this more difficult."

"I know." Gohan snarled back as he stopped sending blasts so he could look at his friend. "I did not come here for a shrink session."

"Alright alright. Relax." Tobney shrugged. "It's just very easy for me to read your emotions. That's all."

"Why don't you start paying more attention to the mission than to my mind? You'll need your concentration if you want to win this bet."

Tobney smirked when a group of soldiers from this planet appeared in front of them. "Good idea." The boy assumed a fighting stance. "So the bet starts now, huh?"

Gohan nodded as a determined expression appeared on his face. "The bet starts now." He confirmed before he attacked.

The half-saiyan was once again surprised by the resistance these guys were putting up. They fought with all they had to protect their planet and they were actually pretty strong. Luckily for Gohan, most warriors assumed that he was easier to defeat because he was a child and Tobney was an adult. Therefore, most of them focused on Tobney. The soldiers were not stupid though. Once they realized that Gohan was actually pretty strong too they turned back to him and attacked him with ferocity.

Gohan was down to two warriors by now. Tobney was locked in a duel of his own. The half-saiyan floated back when the two soldiers tried to punch him at the same time. Gohan jumped back and put his hands together. "Ka..Me…Ha..Me..Ha!" He yelled as he fired the attack at the two soldiers.

Tobney jumped aside when the blast attacked his enemy as well. "Thanks!" He called over as he gave Gohan a thumbs up. The half-saiyan stretched his arms while he looked around.

"I think that was it." Gohan stated as he looked back at Tobney. The other nodded in response. He agreed with Gohan on going back to the place where they had to meet with their comrades.

"Okay." Gohan said to earn his comrades' attention. They finished their work on this planet rather quickly and they were all eager to go back to their ship. They just had to wait for Comora to make another round around the planet to check if everything was done probably. A cleaning crew would arrive in a couple of hours to get the planet ready for sale and they would take care of any careless mistakes but Comora wanted to deliver and he did not want the cleaning crew to find mistakes in their work. They were the elite team for a reason.

"We made a bet and now we need to know which one of us is covered in more bloodstains." Gohan explained as he extended his arms sideways. Tobney followed his example.

Suno tilted his head sideways. "Do you win when you've got more bloodstains on your body or is it the other way around?" His blue eyes studied the half-saiyan's uniform.

"We're not going to say that. You guys might try to help the person you like better." Gohan replied as he looked up at them.

"We dislike both of you." Itoro smirked at them as he floated closer. "No differences." The man unconsciously scratched the light-blue skin on his arm.

"Funny." Gohan looked down at his own body. "Now tell us."

"I think there's more blood on Tobney." Itoro stated as he eyed his young comrade.

"I agree." Suno nodded. The man circled the two warriors. "Definitely more stains on your uniform."

"So that's your conclusion?" Gohan asked, keeping a straight face.

The three comrades affirmed this and Gohan cheered. "Yaahoo!" He yelled. The boy turned to Tobney and grinned at his friend. "Oh, the torturous assignments I've got for you!"

"Meh." Tobney complained as he crossed his arms over each other.

"What was the prize?" Itoro asked curiously.

"I've just got myself a slave for a week." Gohan replied cheerfully. Tobney muttered some rude things under his breath.

"Oh really?" Suno sounded amused. "You guys need to stop making these bets. Your stakes are getting higher and higher."

"It's fun." Gohan replied as he floated up and down in excitement. "It makes life a lot more interesting."

"Does it now?" Comora appeared near them. "Okay. This planet is done. It's time we leave." He stated as he studied his comrades. The man turned to the half-saiyan. "Gohan. Come here for a sec." He motioned for Gohan to approach him.

Gohan floated closer and sent the man a confused glance. "What's up, boss?" He asked. He sounded very innocent and genuine but Comora had a feeling Gohan was mocking him. The tension between them was still painfully obvious.

Comora moved up his hand and snapped with his fingers. Gohan watched him do this and he frowned confusedly. Then he felt a presence behind him and he whirled around to protect his body from the upcoming attack.

Tobney was floating behind him, smiling, so Gohan lowered his hands and opened his mouth to ask what the hell Tobney was thinking when he suddenly realized that his hands were stuck.

Suno, Itoro and Kaon were holding his limbs tightly while Comora was floating behind him, aiming a blast at his neck area. He realized this because of the peak in energy and because of the warmth he could feel oozing off of the blast.

"What's going on?" Gohan asked, feeling sick to his stomach when the others tightened their grip on his shoulders and arms. "Let me go."

"Relax." Comora replied as he placed his free hand on Gohan's shoulder. "We're just going to take a brief look into your mind. Just to find out whether you've been hiding anything from us."

Gohan looked ahead to find Tobney floating closer to him. The boy shook his head. "Tobney. You're my friend."

"You're supposed to be my friend but that doesn't keep you from lying to me." Tobney replied as he stared into Gohan's eyes. The half-saiyan looked down to avoid letting Tobney look in his eyes. Comora's hand fisted a chunk of Gohan's hair and forced him to look up at Tobney.

The half-saiyan closed his eyes. Anything to avoid eye-contact with Tobney. That would be his downfall. He could hear an amused chuckle from Tobney and a moment later, he could feel Tobney's fingers against his chin, gently pushing his face up.

The moment Tobney's fingers made contact with his skin, Gohan's eyes automatically opened. The half-saiyan tried to close them. He had to close them again but it was like someone else was controlling his body.

Gohan was panting a little by now. He could easily fight the strongest warriors without even breaking a sweat but trying to keep a natural psychic out of his mind, fighting Tobney's mind when the other was on his strongest…. This was horrible.

"Stop." Gohan whispered. He could feel his barriers breaking. An invisible hand was reaching into his mind and into his secrets.

"Awww…" Tobney teased. "I didn't know our friendship was so important to you."

"You're such a jerk." Gohan gave a pull at his arms but the others didn't budge.

"Wow… Your first fight with Vegeta was intense… How are you on such good terms with him now when he treated you like that back then." Tobney continued, as his fingers gently massaged Gohan's skin. At first, Gohan thought Tobney did that to annoy him but he realized that Tobney's moving fingers made it more difficult for Gohan to push his power away because he had to focus on a different point every time.

"First fight? What?" Itoro asked, sounding curious. "Tell me."

"It happened years ago. Nappa and Vegeta landed on planet Earth and they fought earthlings and Gohan…" Tobney narrowed his eyes because Gohan's defenses were strengthening, putting up a better fight. The older warrior placed a hand on Gohan's neck. The more physical contact, the stronger he was. "He fought Vegeta to buy his father some time. Got quite a beating."

"Of course." Suno said, rolling his blue eyes.

Gohan's body started shaking. "Get out of my mind!" He snarled at Tobney.

"Stop messing with his memories. Focus on your task, Tobney." Comora ordered as he glared at the psychic.

Tears dropped from Tobney's eyes. The man ignored them for the moment. It was normal to experience the emotions of the person he was searching. There was a lot of pain hidden in that first fight… And the second one.

"Freeza…" Tobney muttered as he stared at the memories, as caught up in it as Gohan was.

"What?" Comora looked up.

"Tobney…." Gohan whispered. "Please stop…." He had to feel it all again. He could see the same memories Tobney saw. He relived the pain. His body was shaking heavily by now. Itoro, Suno and Kaon exchanged worried glances. What was happening?

"Krillin…." Tobney muttered. This was new. Gohan never told him about his friends from planet Earth. He was so curious that he could not stop himself. The urge to find out more was incontrollable.

"No…" Gohan whimpered, breathing heavily. "I couldn't help him…. I can never help them…"

"Tobney!" Comora snarled as he reached out and smacked against Tobney's forehead. "What is wrong with you?"

Tobney blinked and shook his head. His eyes focused again and he pulled away as if Gohan's skin burned his hands. Gohan was shaking uncontrollably right now. Tobney looked at his comrades. "I'm sorry." He whispered before he fell unconscious, dropping out of the air.

"Tobney!" Suno raced to catch the boy and managed to grab him before the boy's body could crash into the ground.

"Is he okay?" Comora asked, looking down. They released Gohan by now and weren't really paying attention to him. That was until Comora turned back to Gohan to see how the boy was doing and he gasped audibly. The others looked at Gohan too, only to give out similar surprised reactions.

The half-saiyan was still staring at nothing, wide eyed. His eyes were turquoise and his hair was floating upwards. His body was shaking heavily. Suddenly, Gohan leaned back and screamed, clenching his fists. His power exploded around them, forcing the warriors to put up their hands in protection and float back.

"Gohan!" Comora yelled at him as he lowered his arm somewhat. "Calm down! You're not allowed to lose control, remember!"

"Listen to your boss, Gohan!" Suno added, clenching his fists.

"You're in so much trouble if you don't calm down right now!" Itoro said, sounding unconvinced.

Gohan did not seem to hear them. Suno was holding the unconscious Tobney. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, looking up.

Comora pinched the bridge of his nose before he pressed on a button on his scouter. "Lord Vegeta?" He said, sounding miserable. "We've got a situation here…"

The half-saiyan's eyes opened, surprising them all. "Fine!" He yelled at them. His hair was still levitating slightly. They'd seen Gohan's transformation before, but somehow he looked even scarier this time. "You want to see my power?" He growled at them. "Well, here it is."

Itoro was the first victim of Gohan's outburst. The man blinked and the boy was floating in front of him. The half-saiyan pulled back a fist and pushed it deep into Itoro's stomach. The man hunched over and didn't even get the time to see the next punch coming. Gohan's fist slammed into his cheekbone, throwing him straight to the ground.

Kaon floated back. He didn't even see what happened and now Itoro was crash-landing on the ground. A flash of yellow made him look sideways. Gohan's smirk told him enough and a second later he was thrown to the ground as well, his head hurting because of the punches he just received.

Comora extended his hands to Gohan when the half-saiyan appeared in front of him. "Calm down, Gohan. This is not allowed."

"Is it not good enough for you?" Gohan asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You wanted to see my strength. You wanted me to show you."

"You are not stronger than I am, Gohan." Comora pressed the button on his scouter to track Gohan's power-level but the contraption exploded right away.

"No scouters." Gohan said, smirking smugly. "Just you and me."

Suno opened and closed his mouth. Why did Gohan not attack him? The man gently brushed through Tobney's hair when the boy stirred in his sleep.

"Fine." Comora sank into a fighting stance and Gohan charged at him right away. The man had a hard time blocking the punches from the half-saiyan. He floated back and the boy followed him, on the offensive, there to hurt his squad leader. "This… is …. Insubordination…" Comora tried to say but he was too focused on trying not to get hurt.

Then it happened. Comora's hand did not move up fast enough to block Gohan's punch, and it landed against his cheek. The man stumbled back, giving Gohan enough time and opportunity to knee the man in stomach. The half-saiyan whirled around in the air and kicked Comora straight to the ground.

Now, Gohan powered up and up. Itoro, Kaon and Comora were still on the ground, getting up now and looking up in the air to see what was happening. Gohan's hands moved back and small blasts appeared on his hands. He gave yet another scream and he started sending blasts to them. Comora crawled out of the way but Itoro and Kaon were hit head on. Gohan continued sending blasts, baring his teeth, his tail flicking angrily.

"Gohan!" Suno called. "You're going to kill them!" He looked down when Tobney shifted in his arms. The boy opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" Tobney asked as he looked around. "What?" He widened his eyes when he noticed Gohan and what the boy was doing.

The half-saiyan smirked when Comora was hit as well. The other three warriors were shielding their bodies, trying to avoid the blasts but only occasionally succeeding. Most of the time, the blasts hit their bodies head-on.

"Gohan!" Sianna appeared behind him. "Stop it!" She placed a hand on his shoulder but the boy whirled around and smacked her cheek. She gave a scream and was launched away, unable to fight an attack at such strength.

The half-saiyan blinked. "Sianna?" He whispered. He shook his head and tried to blink away his blurry vision.

"Gohan." Tobney appeared in front of him. "Calm down." He said softly, making a calming gesture with his hands.

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "Tobney…" He growled. "Did you enjoy walking through my most painful memories?"

"I'm sorry, Gohan. I went in too far. I just… I couldn't stop."

"Allow me to use that same weak excuse right now." Gohan smirked as he pulled back a fist and tried to punch Tobney. The older warrior caught his fist and pulled Gohan closer, hugging the boy tightly. "Tobney! Let me go!" Gohan struggled as he said this.

"I'm sorry, Gohan." Tobney whispered in his ear. "It's my fault. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Gohan was still breathing fast, his body straining against Tobney grip. Slowly, the boy calmed down. His breathing slowed down and his body relaxed. "Sianna!" Gohan exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder.

Tobney realized that Gohan sounded worried now and he released his friend. Gohan flew down, landing next to Sianna and looking her over.

She looked up at him. "Are you feeling better now?" She asked, grimacing. She was in very bad shape. He might have not hit her hard but her body was not used to being slammed into the rock-hard surface like that. Her arm was lying in a very strange angle and her head was bleeding.

"I'm so sorry." Gohan said as he pulled her into his arms. "We need to get you in a rejuvenation tank."

Sianna tried to nod but it only made her grimace again when a pain shot through her head. "Yes please." She whispered as she looked up at him, a small smile on her face. She wrapped her good arm around his shoulders as Gohan flew up and flew to the ship.

The boy gently placed Sianna in the tank and closed it, apologizing to her several times. She did not seem angry though, just happy to be in the tank.

Gohan quickly punched in the needed information and activated the tank. After this he turned to the doorway. There his comrades were watching him curiously.

Gohan slowly knelt down, looking at the ground. "I apologize." He said, still looking at the ground. "I'm not supposed to lose control. I'm sorry."

"No you're not supposed to lose control." Comora repeated, frowning at the half-saiyan. "And there will be consequences."

Gohan clenched his fists. "I accept that." He replied.

"The same goes for you." Comora's gaze moved to Tobney, who looked down. "This all started because you had to get carried away."

Gohan looked up, frowning. "No. This all started because you refused to believe me." He replied.

"And for good reason. You were holding back your strength." Suno growled at him. The man was covered in wounds and other injuries, both from the mission and the fight with Gohan.

"I lost control. It happens. That doesn't mean my power is always that great." Gohan snarled back as he got up.

"The point here is that you are not supposed to lose control." Comora said, as he stepped closer. "I ordered you not to do that anymore and lord Vegeta ordered you to stay calm under any circumstances. If I let you get away with it now you'll be more eager to let yourself go again next time."

"I lost control because you forced me to!"

"You lost control because you had something to hide and you didn't want us to find out." Comora replied, raising his voice. "You attacked your squad leader and your comrades." The man reached out and used his finger to push Gohan's face up. "I have one word for that kind of behavior: Treason."

"I didn't choose to do that. I couldn't help it."

"Maybe so." Comora pulled back. "That doesn't change what you did."

"What about what you did? You betrayed one of your own. You attacked me." Gohan replied. "You are just as guilty as I am."

"We did what we had to do to." Comora replied. "For now, you can help your comrades heal and lord Vegeta will hear about this."

"I will definitely hear about this." They all looked up when Vegeta's voice spoke up through the intercom. The communication screen automatically activated and showed Vegeta's face. The man looked very angry and his glare was directed at the two young warriors.

They all knelt down immediately, including Gohan. "Gohan. Don't you think your misbehavior is getting a bit old? You're a soldier. Behave like one. I swear if you pull another stunt like you did today…"

Gohan interrupted him. "It wasn't my fault. I can't control that. You know how it goes. Once it starts I cannot stop it."

"You keep saying that, but that doesn't mean you can just let it take over like that. Besides, I know that your mind is a lot stronger than it was back when we were fighting Freeza and it's been a while since you've had an outburst. I have a feeling that you can control it a lot better than you try to show us." Vegeta reasoned, glaring at the young warrior. Gohan avoided his eyes. "I'm not stupid, Gohan. I can see right through you."

Vegeta's gaze moved to the tank where Sianna was still healing. "Maybe it's time I demoted you. You know, let you be a slave for a while." Vegeta suggested as he leaned back on his seat.

Gohan got up. "What?"

"I think all the power you've got has gone to your head." Vegeta continued. "Going back to rubbing my feet, scrubbing the floors and sleeping in your little closet might do you some good."

The half-saiyan slowly shook his head. "You can't demote me. I have a lot of work that I still have to do."

"Your work is pretty much done. You've translated everything important and the reports on the newly acquired planets are coming rather slow lately. I can take my own calls. You can spend a few months doing something else for a while." Vegeta smirked when Gohan's expression turned to a very miserable one. The boy must have realized that nothing he could say would undo the damage he'd already done. The half-saiyan just stared at the man.

"Let's not forget about you, Tobney," Vegeta focused on the other warrior now. "You have been misbehaving an awful lot as well lately and I don't like where you're going with that so it's time I put a stop to it." The young warrior clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Your little cage, as you called it, is still unoccupied and waiting for your return. You might have wormed your way into the hearts of your comrades but I still have the final word and I can put you back in that tiny room in a second. For old times' sake." Vegeta taunted, smirking at Tobney's angry expression.

"You two may be strong but you're still little brats and if you cannot behave like proper soldiers I can make your lives very miserable." Vegeta said, sounding so angry that the two warriors did not really know how to respond. "Do you understand me?" He snarled.

"Yes lord Vegeta." Two voices sounded in unison.

"Good. When you return to the mother ship I will have a stern word with both of you. For now, keep your heads down and behave while you travel back to my ship."

"Yes lord Vegeta." The two voices said again. The screen turned black.

"The kids got their asses handed to them~" Itoro said in a sing-song voice. Gohan and Tobney both sent him a glare but they didn't respond to him. They were both too put off to say anything.

"Right." Comora said, nodding. "Gohan, why don't you go to my office and think about what you've done. Tobney, you can do the same thing in our bedroom. Itoro, Kaon and Suno, you can go clean yourselves up. Suno, take care of the girl afterwards. I'll have a little talk with the two delinquents." Gohan and Tobney exchanged glances.

"Well," Comora said as he grabbed Tobney by his shoulder and pushed the boy to the doorway. "Get going. Now." Tobney quickly got up and walked out the room. Gohan decided to follow orders as well and he walked to the doorway, where Comora encouraged him by giving him a push against his shoulder as well.

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Gohan was pacing up and down Comora's office. He was too angry to sit still and he was not planning on behaving properly and he certainly was not going to apologize again. They would not listen to him? Fine. He didn't care what they thought about him anyway.

Comora frowned as he studied the young warrior. "You can stop those angry tail gestures. It's not going to do any good here." Comora stated, earning Gohan's attention.

Gohan stopped walking while his tail curled around his waist. The fact that Comora understood the tail language was rather confronting. When Gohan first got back his tail, Comora realized that the boy's tail was a lot more mobile than Vegeta's. It often uncurled itself from the boy's waist and started waving behind Gohan in certain patterns depending on the boy's mood.

Comora asked Vegeta about this and found out that young saiyans had a hard time controlling their tails. It often had a mind of its own and it was easy for older saiyans to read the mood of the cubs. Gohan might have a strong mind, but he lost his tail when he was five and did not get it back for years. He did not get the chance to practice his tail control so he was still a child when it came to that.

Comora found this interesting and he asked Vegeta what the basic emotions and messages in tail language were. When he first confronted Gohan with a reading of the boy's silent messages, Gohan was so shocked that Comora decided that all his studying of the tail language was worth it.

The half-saiyan sat down on a chair and crossed his arms over each other. "Go ahead." He stated. "Give it to me."

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Comora asked as he walked closer.

"You're going to tell me how I've been acting like a child. That I should behave more like an adult and that I need to realize how important my job is." Gohan spat out. "You know, the standard crap adults always say."

Comora's mouth tightened somewhat as he stopped near his subordinate. "You're a soldier, Gohan."

"There we go."

"Gohan." Comora said, sounding tired. "Maybe you should take a break from us." He suggested as he reached out to grab another chair, pulled it closer and sat down on it.

Gohan looked up. "What?"

"You've been working non-stop since you joined our army. You should take a break. You could do something else for a while." Comora explained. "Lord Vegeta was right when he suggested demoting you."

"I don't want to be a servant!" Gohan interrupted, frowning.

"I understand that but think about it." Comora tried. The man brushed through his hair. He obviously was not used to having serious conversations with people. "It would be something different. You wouldn't have to work so late every day. You wouldn't have to go on missions."

Gohan's gaze moved down. "I like going on missions. It takes me away from Vegeta."

Comora's mouth twitched at this. It wasn't the first time he heard something like that. The man leaned closer to the half-saiyan so he could look at the half-saiyan's face. "Think about it."

Gohan's eyes met the man's red orbs. "Fine. I will."

Comora got up. "Good. Now that that's out of the way." He reached down and grabbed Gohan by his uniform, pulling the half-saiyan up in a standing position.

"It's time for your punishment." Comora said cheerfully as he started pushing Gohan to the doorway.

"Wha?" Gohan uttered as he looked at Comora over his shoulder. "But..?"

"You didn't think we were going to let this go unpunished, do you?"

Comora opened the door and he pushed Gohan through it. The half-saiyan only got time to see his comrades before a waterfall of freezing cold water attacked him from everywhere.

Gohan let out a grunt and started breathing very quickly in order to get the feeling in his body back. "What the hell?" He asked.

His comrades chuckled and laughed at his reaction. "Alright. Now it's time for Tobney's surprise." Comora stated as he grabbed his empty bucket. The man handed a bucket to Gohan. "Fill them up and wait for me to talk to Tobney. The moment the door opens, we will give him his icy present."

Gohan accepted the bucket. "So… This was the punishment. This is the only thing you're going to do?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Comora replied, shrugging.

Gohan decided to leave it at that. They waited outside while Comora spoke to Tobney. The conversation was over rather quickly and Tobney appeared in the doorway. The warrior gasped when they all emptied their bucket of ice cold water on him. Gohan laughed along with his comrades as Tobney cursed and complained.

The two young warriors later found out that this was not the end of their punishment. When Gohan arrived in the bedroom, he found that his bed was gone. Tobney's bed was gone too.

Suno was just changing into his pajamas when Gohan scoffed. "This is a little childish, isn't it?"

"What is?" Suno asked, his face not giving away anything.

"My bed!"

"What's wrong with it?" Suno sent the half-saiyan a smile. "You're not imagining things, are you? Maybe you should let your head get checked out." The man pulled on his shirt.

Gohan walked to where his bed used to be and grabbed the sheets and pillow that were lazily thrown on the ground there. The boy placed them back on the ground in a bed-like position before he turned to the doorway. Let's see what Tobney thought about this.

Gohan hoped the others were not going to take the punishment too far. He could handle a few practical jokes. That would be fine. He just hoped they would not take it to actual physical punishment. It had been a while since they did that and he would like to keep it that way.

Sadly for Gohan, his comrades were not done just yet.

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**I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20: An Ice Cold Welcome

***casually updates this story even though I should have been working on the other stories and not on this one but oh well...* **

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

"_I don't want to do this!" Gohan's voice rose as he spoke. "I've done a lot of nasty things over these past few years that I've been working for you. Fixing things, persuading people, doing the dirty work that you don't want to do, but I draw the line here. I refuse." _

"_Oh really?" Vegeta leaned forwards as he spoke, his voice rising as well. "Have you forgotten our agreement?" _

_(…)_

"_I don't want to do it!" Gohan clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. _

'_You don't have a choice!"_

"_You can't keep doing this to me, Vegeta!" Gohan's power level flared as his anger grew. Comora's scouter beeped and the glass on the man's table shattered into pieces. Gohan glanced sideways, realized that Comora was gauging his power and turned away from both of them. _

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"_Ooooh, you said no to Vegeta? You daredevil." Tobney teased._

_The half-saiyan pushed the man's hands off his shoulders. "Damn it. I should have realized what you were doing." He muttered as he walked to his bed. "You're not allowed to read our minds, remember?"_

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_The young woman gazed up at him, and Gohan frowned. What was that look she was giving him? Sianna moved her head up and pressed her lips on his mouth. Gohan was so shocked that he jumped back, tripped over his own feet and fell down. _

_Sianna laughed as she got up. "That was easy." She teased as she placed her hands on her hips. _

"_That's not fair!" Gohan complained while he got up too, a frown on his face. _

"_All is fair in love and war." Sianna looked rather pleased with herself. "Maybe I wanted to kiss you." She suggested. _

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_Suno, Itoro and Kaon were holding his limbs tightly while Comora was floating behind him, aiming a blast at his neck area. He realized this because of the peak in energy and because of the warmth he could feel oozing off of the blast. _

"_What's going on?" Gohan asked, feeling sick to his stomach when the others tightened their grip on his shoulders and arms. "Let me go." _

"_Relax." Comora replied as he placed his free hand on Gohan's shoulder. "We're just going to take a brief look into your mind. Just to find out whether you've been hiding anything from us." _

_Gohan looked ahead to find Tobney floating closer to him. The boy shook his head. "Tobney. You're my friend." _

"_You're supposed to be my friend but that doesn't keep you from lying to me." Tobney replied as he stared into Gohan's eyes. The half-saiyan looked down to avoid letting Tobney look in his eyes. Comora's hand fisted a chunk of Gohan's hair and forced him to look up at Tobney. _

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_The half-saiyan was still staring at nothing, wide eyed. His eyes were turquoise and his hair was floating upwards. His body was shaking heavily. Suddenly, Gohan leaned back and screamed, clenching his fists. His power exploded around them, forcing the warriors to put up their hands in protection and float back. _

"_Gohan!" Comora yelled at him as he lowered his arm somewhat. "Calm down! You're not allowed to lose control, remember!" _

"_Listen to your boss, Gohan!" Suno added, clenching his fists._

"_You're in so much trouble if you don't calm down right now!" Itoro said, sounding unconvinced._

_Gohan did seem to hear them. Suno was holding the unconscious Tobney. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, looking up. _

_Comora pinched the bridge of his nose before he pressed on a button on his scouter. "Lord Vegeta?" He said, sounding miserable. "We've got a situation here…" _

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"_You two may be strong but you're still little brats and if you cannot behave like proper soldiers I can make your lives very miserable." Vegeta said, sounding so angry that the two warriors did not really know how to respond. "Do you understand me?" He snarled. _

"_Yes lord Vegeta." Two voices sounded in unison._

"_Good. When you return to the mother ship I will have a stern word with both of you. For now, keep your heads down and behave while you travel back to my ship." _

"_Yes lord Vegeta." The two voices said again. The screen turned black. _

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_The two young warriors later found out that their icy cold water surprise was not the end of their punishment. When Gohan arrived in the bedroom, he found that his bed was gone. Tobney's bed was gone too._

_Suno was just changing into his pajamas when Gohan scoffed. "This is a little childish, isn't it?"_

"_What is?" Suno asked, his face not giving away anything. _

"_My bed!" _

"_What's wrong with it?" Suno sent the half-saiyan a smile. "You're not imagining things, are you? Maybe you should let your head get checked out." The man pulled on his shirt. _

_Gohan walked to where his bed used to be and grabbed the sheets and pillow that were lazily thrown on the ground there. The boy placed them back on the ground in a bed-like position before he turned to the doorway. Let's see what Tobney thought about this._

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 20. An Ice Cold Welcome**

After placing his pillow and blanket on the ground, Gohan sent one last glare to Suno and left the room. He tracked Tobney's power level and stalked to the common room.

He hadn't seen Tobney all day because they'd both been very busy with the chores Comora decided they had to do. Even though they left the purged planet hours ago and Gohan was behaving well, Comora was still keeping an eye on the half-saiyan.

Once he arrived in the common room, Gohan was pleased to see Tobney was there. The boy was placing two glasses on the table for Itoro and Comora. The half-saiyan stopped next to Tobney and pulled back a fist. Just as Tobney turned to look at the half-saiyan Gohan punched him. Comora raised both his eyebrows and Itoro nearly dropped the book he was holding.

The young warrior gasped and took a step back. He placed a hand on his cheek and turned back to Gohan. "Okay. I deserved that." He stated, nodding.

Gohan cracked his knuckles. "If you tell anyone about what you saw in my memories I will make you regret it, do you understand me?" He threatened as he glared at his friend.

"Oh really?" Comora asked, an amused tone in his voice. "Do you have something to hide, Gohan? Is it your real strength? Oh no," Comora gasped in an exaggerated manner. "I think that secret's out."

Gohan turned his glare to Comora. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing really came to mind so he closed it again. The boy just settled with glaring at the man, but this only made the man grin.

"No, I think you're talking about the kiss, aren't you?" Tobney said in a teasing tone.

Gohan turned to Tobney right away. "Shut up!" He snarled. During Tobney's search through Gohan's mind, the half-saiyan noticed the memory of the kiss briefly shooting by and he remembered how Tobney's mouth twitched at the time. He hoped that his friend forgot about it.

"Kiss?" Itoro asked, raising an eyebrow. The man's entirely black eyes focused on Gohan.

Tobney laughed when Gohan sent him a mental threat to keep his mouth shut or else. "Oh yes. Sianna and Gohan got a little too close for comfort during one of their training sessions."

"You and Sianna, huh?" Comora said out loud as he scratched his head, messing up his yellow hair. "I could have sworn you two hated each other."

Itoro shrugged. "It makes sense. Those two hate each other a little too much."

"You've got it all wrong." Gohan replied, shaking his head. "We were fighting and I was holding her down to prove a point. She only did it to scare me off."

"She might have done it as a joke, but that doesn't explain why you liked it so much." Tobney teased as he reached out and caressed Gohan's cheek in a condescending manner.

Gohan pushed Tobney's hand away. "Sue me. Men like it when women kiss them. That's why they go to the pleasure quarters all the time."

Itoro made a face and leaned sideways to whisper to Comora. "How old was he again?"

Comora showed a small smirk. "He's not old enough to know that men don't visit prostitutes for a kiss." He muttered back in a soft voice.

"Who is supposed to explain all that to him?" Itoro whispered, frowning a little.

Comora shrugged. "We'll let Vegeta take that bullet." He responded. The man noticed the rather unconvinced look he was getting from his comrade. "Hey, Vegeta wanted to have Gohan. He can deal with those things."

Tobney was not done yet. "The work of a prostitute has nothing to do with what you have with Sianna."

"We're just friends!" Gohan snarled back.

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Why don't we talk about your girls? What was the name of the girl you had a hot and heavy make-out session with just hours before we left for this mission?" Gohan stepped forward and Tobney stepped back, his eyes wide. "Cashrika?"

Comora frowned thoughtfully. "I thought you broke up with her."

"I told you that in confidence." Tobney hissed.

"I didn't even tell you about my kiss with Sianna because I didn't want anyone to know but that didn't stop you from telling it to everyone!"

"Why are you still kissing her if you broke up with her?" Itoro asked curiously.

"Gohan's lying." Tobney stated.

Gohan shook his head and turned to his comrades. "Once you find out about his lovers he tells you he broke up with them. He just wants you to think that because you'll stop teasing him."

"Our little puppy is lying to us." Itoro sniffed and pretended to wipe a tear. "Where did we go wrong?"

Tobney rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot." He muttered to Gohan. "There was a reason why I was keeping that quiet. You don't have to live with them every day."

Comora leaned over to grab his glass. "I feel so loved." He muttered as he leaned back again.

"No," Gohan replied as he placed his hands on his hips, "I have to live with Vegeta. Now _that's _fun. If you're trying to make me sympathize with you then you can try to live with him for a couple of months and I'll get back to you."

"No thanks." Tobney shook his head. "I have actually spent some time with Vegeta whenever they couldn't keep an eye on me." He pointed to Itoro and Comora with his thumb.

Comora laughed. "He practically begged us to take him back." He teased.

"So yes." Tobney continued as if Comora had not spoken. "I know what you're going through and, honestly, I think you're the perfect servant for a man like Vegeta. You two belong together."

"Hear, hear!" Itoro raised his glass. These two were enjoying the little argument between the two teenagers too much.

Gohan sent his friend a glare. "But you know what you're perfect for?" He started as his expression changed to a smug one. "You're the perfect servant for me. I recall a bet we made on the planet. A bet you lost."

Tobney made a face. "Oh crap."

"Oh yes." Gohan grinned as he turned away from Tobney and walked to the couch. He fell down there and placed his boots on the table. "My feet are killing me so I could use a good foot massage." He continued.

Tobney let out a sigh but he figured he lost the bet fair and square and he sat down on the table. There he started to take off Gohan's boots.

"What were the stakes?" Comora asked. He completely missed this event.

"They always gamble with the only thing they have. Their bodies." Itoro replied, shrugging.

Comora shook his head. "Okay. This is over. I order you two to stop making bets about the outcome of a mission. It's not a game!"

"We just do it to make it all a little more fun." Gohan replied, frowning. "I know it's not a game. You all know how I think about the missions."

"That's too bad." Comora placed his glass on the table with so much noise that Tobney flinched. "I'm putting a stop to it. You two cannot bet your bodies to each other, not even for a week, because you don't even own your bodies! You," He pointed at Gohan, "are Vegeta's property and you," His finger pointed to Tobney now, "are our property. So you have to ask for our permission first and I'm not going to give it."

"Me neither." Itoro added, shrugging.

Tobney released Gohan's feet. "I am not your property." He snarled at the man.

"No." Comora sent Tobney a nasty grin. "You just live in our ships. You eat the food we give you. You wear the clothing we give you. Let's not forget that lord Vegeta practically gave you to us when he didn't know what to do with you."

Tobney held Comora's gaze for a moment and Gohan realized that he was excluded from the conversation. This was a battle that had been going on for a long time now.

Tobney was the first one to look away and he pushed Gohan's feet off his lap. "Well then. That means I don't have to rub your feet anymore."

Gohan made a face and sat up so he could grab his boots. Tobney was already getting up. He moved to the doorway, planning on leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" Comora asked out loud.

"Away from my owners." The response was sarcastic and Gohan noticed how Comora clenched his turquoise fists in anger.

"No, you're staying right here!" Comora got up. "You too, Gohan. I want you two to start on your reports. I have a feeling that you have a lot to mention about this particular mission."

Tobney stopped walking but then took a deep breath and started for the door again.

Comora narrowed his eyes. "Tobney!" He growled loudly. "Are you disobeying me?"

The twenty-one year old stopped again. The boy looked over his shoulder for a moment and met Comora's gaze. Gohan noticed that Itoro seemed very amused at something that Gohan did not understand.

The half-saiyan decided to help his friend out and he walked to the table. "Come on, Tobney. Let's get this done before the geezer has a stroke."

"Fine." Tobney rolled his eyes and he turned to the table. The tension was gone. The moment was over. Itoro leaned back on the couch and opened his book again.

"Good. Itoro, keep an eye on them and make sure that they stay here while I get their stuff. I don't want you two to get lost while you're searching for your computers. It happened before." Comora complained as he started walking.

Itoro didn't look up from his book but he showed Comora that he heard the order by tapping against his own forehead with his hand and saluted.

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Gohan gave a hesitant glance at his breakfast. The last few weeks, the adult members of the Suta Team have been playing pranks on Gohan and Tobney. A couple of days ago, they put something in Tobney's breakfast which made Tobney very sick and forced him to stay in the bathroom all day.

Tobney and Gohan hardly touched their food since then.

His stomach rumbled loudly and Gohan decided to take the chance. Tobney waited for Gohan to take the first bite. The half-saiyan was aware of the attention of the others as he chewed on his food. Nothing. Gohan exchanged glances with Tobney and the other took a tentative bite from his breakfast as well.

Gohan licked his lips and quickly ate the rest of his breakfast. He was famished. The boy reached out and grabbed his juice, taking a large gulp from it. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, he realized that he'd judged this breakfast too soon. The liquid burned his tongue and throat so badly that he coughed wildly. The juice landed all over his uniform and the table.

Gohan ignored the laughter from the others as he got up from his seat and ran to the kitchen so he could grab something to help lessen the burning taste in his mouth.

Tobney looked at the glass in his hand and he put it back on the table. The boy leaned back and pushed his plate away. He suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

Gohan leaned on the counter with his hands and looked down, the milk he drank to stop the burning was still dripping from his chin. When was this going to be over?

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

When they first entered the training room a couple of hours ago, Tobney took one glance at the strange black sticks their comrades were holding and he turned around. "Run." Tobney stated to Gohan as he pushed against Gohan's shoulder.

Suno appeared behind them. "Where are you going?" He asked innocently.

"Away." Tobney said as he tried to make a run for it. Suno laughed cheerfully and managed to grab Tobney's arm before he could run and he started leading Tobney to the center of the room.

"Follow us, Rookie." Suno said as he looked over his shoulder at Gohan.

"Come on, guys. Is this really necessary?" Tobney complained as he looked ahead to their comrades, who were standing in the center of the room. Gohan didn't understand. What was going on?

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you were afraid, Tobney." Suno teased before he released his young comrade. "Have we scarred you that much?"

"What's with the intimacy?" Comora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He tried to run."

Comora grinned at his young comrade. "You remember." He stated.

Tobney made a rather miserable face. "How can I forget?"

At the time Gohan did not understand what was going on and why Tobney was looking like his puppy just died but he found out soon enough.

"ARE YOU TOO WEAK FOR THIS?" Comora barked into Gohan's ear as he knelt down next to the half-saiyan. The boy automatically cringed. Boy, that man had a good set of lungs. "CAN'T YOU HANDLE IT?"

"Straighten your back, rookie." Itoro poked Gohan's side with his stick and Gohan hastily changed his position. "That's pathetic."

"Push-ups with bend legs, huh?" Comora used his stick to hand out a harsh smack on Gohan's lower legs. The boy gasped in pain. Damn those sticks. Gohan stopped in mid-air and straightened his legs.

"Who said you could stop?" Comora hit the back of Gohan's shoulder with his stick.

"I had to adjust my legs!" Gohan exclaimed, but he only received yet another hit with the stick, from Itoro this time.

"Who said you could speak?" Itoro barked.

Gohan clenched his teeth on each other. "This is unbelievable." He muttered under his breath.

"Do you know what is unbelievable?" Comora got up fully. "That you dare to call yourself a soldier." The man circled to the other side where Itoro was kneeling down. "You can't even perform a couple of push-ups. It's pathetic."

Itoro looked over to where his comrades were playing with Tobney. The man got up fully and left Comora to handle Gohan for a bit as he walked to his comrades.

"How are you doing here?" He asked as he studied Tobney. The boy's hands were holding onto a pull-up bar and weights were wrapped around his ankles.

Tobney lowered his body to the ground but Suno immediately smacked against his side with his black stick, forcing Tobney to pull his body up again. "No slacking off." Suno said to the exhausted boy. Tobney's muscles were straining to hold his body up the in air but he held on.

Kaon shrugged in response to Itoro's question. "I think we're pretty much done here. We'll move on to some crunches." He replied before turning to Tobney, who was looking rather miserable.

Itoro raised an eyebrow when Comora smacked on Gohan's back with the stick, slamming Gohan to the ground. The half-saiyan bit his lip and pushed his body up again.

"We can have the bar." Itoro mentioned.

"Good." Comora stood up straight. "Come on, rookie." He mentioned to Gohan. The half-saiyan got up and moved his painful arms around a bit to loosen them up.

While they walked Gohan watched as Suno and Kaon chased Tobney to the other side of the gym where they ordered him to sit down.

Gohan was forced to focus on Comora and Itoro when one of them called to him and yet another stick landed on his body. The boy looked up at the bar and had to jump up to grab it. The boy tightened his grip and pulled his body up.

"Ah, good." Comora said in an amused tone. "You've always been a fast learner."

Gohan sent the man a glare. "You guys should start your own training school. You're way too good at this."

"We've had a lot of practice." Itoro replied as he walked to the other side of the bar and he pulled back the arm in which he was holding the stick and hit Gohan's back. "Now what are you hanging around for? Pull your body up until your shoulders are on the same level as the bar and then push up. I want to see straight arms. Bent them and you'll be sorry." He stated.

The half-saiyan's eyes widened comically when Itoro hit him and Comora snickered. "I think Itoro enjoys it the most."

"Oh I do." Itoro poked one of Gohan's legs and the half-saiyan pulled his leg up, rubbing over the painful spot with his other leg. "Cross your legs when you're doing this. You look ridiculous."

Gohan did as he was told and he crossed his legs. The boy ignored the pain in his muscles and he continued to pull his body up.

A few hours later, the four older warriors were done with their punishment and they left Gohan and Tobney to rest. Gohan fell down next to his friend and kicked off his boots.

"Damn it." Gohan swore as he looked at the bruises on his legs and arms. "They're horrible."

Tobney leaned against the wall with his head and closed his eyes. "Imagine dealing with all four of them."

Gohan made a horrified face but then he made the connection in his mind. "You…?"

"Oh yes."

"Why?"

"I refused to train." Tobney opened his eyes and smiled a little. "I refused to do anything. So they forced me to. Every morning. Eventually I did everything by myself because I wanted to get it over with quickly." He took a deep breath. "I was incredibly weak back then. Only at power level of one hundred. The difference between their power and mine was so incredible that they could practically push me over by sighing at me."

"But now you're one of the strongest of the group." Gohan stated. "That means that your strength has grown massively."

Tobney nodded. "I grow stronger with every beating." He replied. "Much like the saiyan race my body heals itself and grows stronger and better. Why do you think Vegeta destroyed my planet? My race was a threat to him."

Gohan scoffed. "History is repeating itself. I thought my relationship to Vegeta was similar to Vegeta's relationship to Freeza, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I'm not the oppressed saiyan in this story."

"And I am? Please don't insult me by calling me a saiyan." Tobney responded. The man considered his own words for a moment. "No offence." He added after that. "I was talking about Vegeta."

"I know." Gohan grinned as he wrapped an arm around his friend and pulled the man closer. Tobney gave him a questioning glance. "There is one difference between Vegeta's story and your story."

"What's that?"

"You have me." Gohan squeezed his friend a little harder than necessary and Tobney chuckled.

"These saiyans are going to be the end of me someday." Tobney muttered dryly.

Gohan squeezed him again, even harder and Tobney laughed. "Okay. Okay. Stop crushing my bones." He noticed that Gohan loosened his grip and the two warriors exchanged warm glances while Tobney's arm sneaked around Gohan's shoulders. "We have each other." Tobney added.

The two looked up when a robotic voice announced that they would arrive at their destination in two hours. The mood in the room went ice cold instantly.

Gohan pulled back and lowered his gaze. "Two hours." He stated.

"Do you think it's going to be bad?" Tobney asked.

The half-saiyan shrugged. "I don't know. He sounded angry. I don't know what he's going to do."

Tobney pushed his body up and got up fully. "Let's take a shower and get ready."

Gohan accepted Tobney's extended hand and let Tobney help him up. The two warriors stayed together as they prepared for the landing and the meeting with their boss.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The Suta Team entered Vegeta's office and they all knelt down. Comora was in the front and Itoro and Suno knelt down on either side of him. Kaon, Tobney and Gohan were the last to kneel down behind them.

Gohan looked at the ground while Comora announced that they successfully completely the mission and came here to report back to Vegeta.

"Good." Vegeta stated as he leaned back on his seat. "You're all dismissed." Vegeta watched as they all got up. "Except for Gohan."

The half-saiyan tried not to make a face. He already expected Vegeta to call him back. Tobney placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder before following the others. Gohan slowly knelt down again, looking at the ground.

Vegeta leaned on his desk with his elbows and curled his fingers together. "Start packing your stuff. You're moving back to my office." He ordered. Gohan looked up.

"But…"

"Don't speak unless you're asked a question." Vegeta barked at him. Gohan pursed his lips and nodded once. "Also, don't address me without a title." He added.

"Yes sir."

"You do know that I have killed soldiers for less than what you did during that mission, brat." Vegeta said as he got up. The man walked around his desk and crossed the distance to the half-saiyan. Gohan tensed but Vegeta had not given him permission to get up so he did not get up. "If you continue to disobey my rules I will be forced to deal with you, do you hear me?"

"Yes sir."

Vegeta reached down and grabbed Gohan's hair so he could pull the boy up. "What are you?" He barked into Gohan's face.

The half-saiyan frowned at him. "I'm a soldier." He replied defiantly. He knew what Vegeta wanted him to say but he wasn't going to give it up that easily.

Vegeta laughed briefly but then tightened his grip on Gohan's hair. The half-saiyan tried not to make a pained face but it was becoming more difficult. He was itching to punch the older saiyan but he knew that would only result in more torture, mental or psychical. Besides, planet Earth was still in Vegeta's hands. Gohan had to obey him.

"Try again." Vegeta hissed.

"I'm a slave." Gohan whispered, clenching his fists.

"Whose slave?"

"Yours."

"So that makes me?" Vegeta leaned over the half-saiyan.

'_A bastard.' _The half-saiyan thought. Gohan wanted to insult the man. Oh, he wanted to say it out loud so badly. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it. "A master." He said instead.

"Whose master?" Vegeta said cruelly as he pulled on Gohan's hair, forcing the boy lean back his head. The half-saiyan felt Vegeta's warm breath on his skin. It made him want to puke.

"My master." Gohan fists were trembling with anger but he didn't do anything. He let Vegeta do it all.

"Louder boy."

"YOU'RE MY MASTER. OKAY!" Gohan yelled as he ignored the strain on his hair and moved his head up a bit. He could feel some of his hairs were pulled out in the process but he could care less.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and moved his leg up to knee Gohan in his stomach. The man moved his arm out of the way when Gohan spit out some saliva to avoid getting hit. The man stepped sideways entirely as Gohan fell down on his knees. The half-saiyan tried to get the oxygen that was rudely pushed out of his lungs back into his body. The man used his boot to push against Gohan's shoulder and throw the boy on the ground.

Gohan placed his hands on the ground to push his body up so Vegeta quickly placed his boot between Gohan's shoulder blades and pushed him back down. The man's mouth twitched when Gohan took a deep breath to calm down. He was putting the boy's temper through such an ordeal on times like this. Gohan just wanted to explode in a tantrum and beat up everyone who was hurting him, but he was not allowed to do it. He had his planet to consider.

Vegeta's rules were clear: Gohan was not to touch his master outside of the training room. Vegeta, on the other hand, was free to do whatever he wanted.

Gohan's fists were lying next to his head on the ground. The boy refused to look up at Vegeta. "We're being a little childish, aren't we?" Gohan muttered softly.

Vegeta applied pressure on Gohan's spine but the only thing Gohan did in response was bite his lip and clench his fists even tighter, his knuckles turning white.

The Saiyan prince pulled back and stepped away. Gohan waited on the ground. "Get up." Vegeta ordered, and the half-saiyan quickly pushed his body up. Gohan eyed his master uncertainly. "Follow me." Vegeta said before he started walking.

Gohan did as he was told. There was a question he wanted to ask. He was burning to ask it. The boy was about to break the rules and ask where they were going when Vegeta started talking. "We're going to measure your power."

"What?" Gohan widened his eyes somewhat.

Vegeta glanced at the half-saiyan. "They are going to measure your power and I will be watching, every step of the way." He stated, enjoying the expression of fear on Gohan's face. "You can't change the numbers this time, boy."

Not long later, Gohan was lying on the measuring table. They stripped him of most of his clothes, leaving him clad in his underwear and covered in small stickers. Every sticker was connected to the machine through a thin line.

The half-saiyan was breathing rather heavy. If only he knew how to fool the simulator. It would make him think he was in danger. It would simulate a world of enemies around him and while he was fighting it would search where Gohan's power came from and measure the amount of power that was hidden in there. All the power. Every single bit of it.

The scientists left him alone in the room and took their places behind their desks and computers so they could guide Gohan through the test. The half-saiyan breathed heavily into the anesthesia mask that would put him to sleep soon. His wrists and ankles were bounded to the table with leather straps so that he wouldn't move them during the test.

Most soldiers found the test scary. They did not like that the machine could play with their minds like that. They were afraid something would go wrong during the test and that they might stay in the simulated sleep forever.

This was not what Gohan was thinking. No. His attention was with the window. The window behind which Vegeta was standing, studying the half-saiyan with interest. The man ignored the scientists around him. He only had eye for the young saiyan.

Gohan glanced at his master and the last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Vegeta's smirk.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The boy opened his eyes. He swallowed to moisturize his dry throat. Gohan waited for the scientists and assistant to come in and untie him but they did not show. Vegeta was the one who entered the room.

The man walked closer to the table on which Gohan was chained down while he was reading a piece of paper. The man looked up at Gohan and turned the paper to the half-saiyan, his finger tapping the paper on the place where Gohan's level was stated.

It confirmed what Gohan already knew.

"Level nine." Vegeta growled before he threw the paper in Gohan's face. The half-saiyan looked away and the piece of paper hit his cheek. "And high at that. You're stronger than Tobney. You even overpowered Comora."

The man walked to the other side of the table. Gohan kept an eye on him while he wondered if it would be a good idea to pull his wrists and ankles free from the chains. He was strong enough. He had the power, but he had a feeling Vegeta would not like it.

Vegeta grabbed the knife from the table. It was there to uncut the leather straps when a soldier was too scared or shaken up to wait patiently to get untied. Some soldiers freaked out after waking up from such a horrible dream only to realize that they were tried up. They would have forgotten about what was going on and they would be too confused to listen to reason.

"You've been lying to me." Vegeta gently moved the knife over Gohan's arm but did not make a cut. He just ran the knife over the boy's skin carefully. "Why?"

Gohan tried not to move. "You did not want me to become too strong."

"I told you I would kill you if you got too strong, right?" Vegeta added as his eyes moved to Gohan's face. The half-saiyan was looking at the knife. The corners of Vegeta's mouth moved up somewhat as he moved his knife to Gohan's throat.

The boy held his breath when he felt the cold blade against the side of his neck, right below the bone of his yaw. "What is going to stop me from killing you now?" Vegeta hissed.

Gohan looked him in the eyes. "Nothing." He replied. "Unless you want to keep your end of the bargain. You promised to protect planet Earth and its inhabitants, and I am still an earthling."

"Are you now?" Vegeta could see the loophole in their deal and moved the knife away from Gohan's neck. The man reached out and made Gohan open his hand.

Gohan was somewhat confused at this as he looked at the V on his palm. When Gohan first arrived many years ago, Vegeta branded the boy by pushing Gohan's palm against a hot v-shaped branding iron. The machine used for it could heat up in a matter of seconds after it was activated. That's why Vegeta used it to brand his slaves. It was easy and quick. Now, Gohan had been in the rejuvenation tank so many times that the scar was hardly even visible.

The man pulled away and moved to the other side. There he made Gohan open his other hand. Gohan sent the man a confused glance but when Vegeta moved the knife down to his hand he realized what the man was planning.

"Vegeta no... Aaaahh!" Gohan uttered when the blade pierced the flesh on his palm.

Vegeta made one straight line in Gohan's flesh, ignoring the half-saiyan's sounds of pain. Vegeta's free hand pushed down on Gohan's arm to keep him still while he moved the knife up and down to make the second cut. Once he was done he pushed against Gohan's hand so the boy could look at it easier. Gohan already guessed what Vegeta drew into his skin and this glance only confirmed it.

"This is what you are, boy." Vegeta growled as he pulled away. The man wiped the bloodied knife on Gohan's cheek. "A slave. Nothing more. Stop considering yourself a threat to me. It will only make you look foolish."

The half-saiyan tried to steady his breathing but this whole situation was upsetting him more than he wanted to admit. Gohan glanced at the bloodied V on his palm and he looked away again. The scent of his own blood made him feel nauseous.

Vegeta placed the knife on the table. "Go to your office and start packing. I'll call for you when you can start bringing your stuff to my office." He stated before turning away from the half-saiyan. "Treat his wound and get him cleaned up." He ordered to the others as he walked to the doorway. "No rejuvenation serum necessary. Just disinfectant and a bandage."

The man pressed a button on his scouter. "Tobney. Come to my office." That was the last thing Gohan could hear before his master left the room.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan entered the room. "Tobney?" He questioned. "You had to report to Vegeta, right? What happened?" He asked as he stepped closer.

Tobney was sitting on the couch and staring at his palm. The boy looked up when Gohan came in. The twenty-year-old held up his open palm and Gohan gasped when he saw the mark on Tobney's palm. The V was still healing, small blisters covering the burned flesh.

"I think he was trying to tell me something." Tobney muttered as he lowered his hand and look at it again. "Damn that hurts." He added.

"Oh Tobney." Gohan said softly as he sat down next to his friend.

Tobney noticed Gohan's bandaged hand. "What happened?"

Gohan eyed his own hand. A red area was seen where the blood tainted the bandage. "He gave me an extra reminder of my position... With a personal touch."

Tobney's healing hand fell to his lap. "Look at us. We're the strongest soldiers of the army but we're helpless against him."

"This is just the beginning." Gohan muttered. "For me at least. I'm pretty sure this is not the end of it."

Tobney nodded to Gohan's bandage. "You should get a rejuvenation serum for that. It will heal faster."

Gohan shook his head. "I'm not allowed. Vegeta wants it to heal on its own. It's more likely to leave a scar if it heals naturally."

Tobney nodded. "What was your level?"

Gohan reached in his armor and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Tobney, who took a glance at it and gasped. "Really?" He asked. "How… This is unbelievable." The man glanced sideways to Gohan. "Did you know you were this strong?"

Gohan shrugged. "I had a hunch."

Tobney looked back at the paper. "You saiyans are incredible. You're only thirteen."

Gohan accepted the paper when Tobney gave it back to him and he hid it in his armor again. "Vegeta spoke about your cage." Gohan started, curious as to what it was.

"You want to see it?" Tobney asked. Gohan nodded and Tobney got up. The half-saiyan followed Tobney to another part of the ship where Gohan looked around.

"You slept in the slave quarters?"

"Not quite." Tobney responded. They walked passed the rooms where the slaves slept and stopped in front of a door. Tobney held his hand above the scanner and the door opened.

Tobney stepped back and motioned for Gohan to walk in. Gohan looked around in the small room. "Oh Tobney." He muttered as he looked at the mattress on the ground.

"Vegeta was right. It hasn't changed at all." Tobney muttered.

Gohan looked at the toilet that was located next to the doorway. He figured he could easily sit on there and touch the mattress with his feet if he wanted to.

"The door locked behind me." Tobney explained. "The walls and door absorb energy. I couldn't get out. I couldn't even kill myself by climbing out a window." He said as he looked around in the windowless cell. "I spent days in here."

Gohan thought back to the small room he used to stay in when he just started working for Vegeta. It was similar to this room. Though Gohan's door usually wasn't locked and Gohan only slept in there at the time.

"How long?"

"About a year." Tobney shrugged. "After that I moved to a room in Comora's wing. They figured it was easier to keep an eye on me if I was near them."

"Luckily." Gohan replied as he looked up at his friend.

Tobney shrugged. "It depends on how you look at it. I might have escaped already if it hadn't been for the Suta Team."

"Then we wouldn't have met."

"True. Maybe 'lucky' is a valid description if you think about it like that." Tobney made a face and turned to the doorway. "Let's get out of this room. I don't want to spend another second in here."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan was sitting on his bed. The half-saiyan glanced at his hand and tried to move it, flinching when it sent a painful shot through his hand and arm. Gohan lowered his hand and sighed.

Emptiness settled in his stomach. He'd felt this before, many times. The darkness inside his mind. The hole in his heart. The coldness in his body. He felt lonely.

These were the moments that it would strike. In the Suta Team ship he could talk to Tobney whenever he felt like this, but now he was sitting in his room. Alone. There was nobody to talk to. Nobody could hold him.

Gohan looked up at the ceiling. "Dad?" He asked out loud. "Daddy? Are you there?"

Silence.

No response.

Gohan pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs. His thoughts wondered off to his home planet. He could see his mother, standing in front of him and spreading her arms. The smile on her face was warm and it filled Gohan with happiness and homeliness. The half-saiyan ran to her and he wrapped his arms around her frame. He could feel her hand gently caressing his spiky hair as she whispered a welcome in his ear.

"I'll always be with you." She whispered. The wind made Chi-chi's dress wave around them and playfully smack against Gohan's legs. The sun was warm on his skin. He heard the sounds of the birds. A tiger roared close to them.

The half-saiyan tightened his grip on his mother and he whispered. "I love you, mom."

Gohan opened his eyes and the world around him changed back to the cold silent metallic world of the army. His skin felt extra cold on the places where Chi-chi hugged him in his daydream.

The boy sighed and crawled under his sheets. This was useless. Dreaming wouldn't get him anywhere. He pulled the sheets up to his chin, turned on his side and closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep badly. He wanted to lose himself in that moment of oblivion.

"Gohan?"

Gohan sat up. "Dad?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Hey son! King Kai told me you called out to me."

Gohan was so happy with his father's response that tears sprang to his eyes and he let out a sob. He was not alone.

"Are you okay, son?" His father sounded worried.

The half-saiyan wiped the tears away and he nodded. "I'm great! Well, not that great, but I'm better now that I heard your voice."

"What's going on, Gohan? Why do I get a distressed emotion from you?"

Gohan looked down. "I screwed up, dad. They found out about my real power level." He replied.

"I think it was only a matter of time until they would find out, Gohan." Goku replied. He did not sound surprised.

"Was it stupid of me to think that I could keep my strength a secret? Am I really childish?" Gohan asked, feeling rather dumb by now. Apparently, even his father did not believe that Gohan could keep it a secret for so long.

"No." Goku's response was a cheerful one. He sounded like he rejected that idea right away. "You believe in everything you do. You start something and hope for the best. That's not a bad thing." Goku was silent for a moment. "Don't let that world change you. Your gentleness and positive mind is your strength. Never forget that."

Silence.

"Gohan. I can still come back to live." Goku offered. "I can take you away from there."

Gohan slowly shook his head. "This is my fight, dad. It became my fight when you left this realm. Besides, Vegeta is protecting planet earth. If Vegeta gets killed we don't know who will arise next. They might destroy planet earth without even challenging us. I've seen what warriors can do. They can destroy an entire planet without even landing on the planet itself."

The half-saiyan grabbed hold of the sheets. "As long as I stay here planet earth will be safe. That's all I need to know."

"Close your eyes, Gohan."

The teenager obeyed and closed his eyes. His world was black and he silently wondered what his father was doing. Was he messing with his son?

Suddenly, a small light appeared in his vision. Gohan unconsciously reached out with his hand and stepped closer, but he realized that his body was still in his bed.

The half-saiyan focused on the light and the world around him slowly changed. Gohan looked down and realized that he was wearing his father's gi. The orange jumpsuit and blue undershirt felt natural against his skin.

Gohan looked up and grinned when he saw his father. The man looked just like he remembered him. Goku opened his arms. "Come here, son." He said.

The half-saiyan jumped in his fathers and hid his face in the man's chest. Goku smiled as he tightened his grip on the young warrior. "I'm proud of you, Gohan. No matter what you do, I will always be proud of you. Don't forget that, okay?"

"I will." Gohan nodded before pressing closer to his father. He wanted to remember this. He wanted to imprint the man's stature in his own body. He never wanted to leave this place. He could stay here forever. In his father's arms.

"I love you son." Goku's voice was soft.

"I love you too, father." Gohan opened his eyes and looked up at his father's smiling face. The man pulled back and studied his son.

"You've grown so much, Gohan." Goku stated. He sounded proud as he stepped back and looked Gohan up and down. "I'm sure you've grown very strong."

"Who wouldn't be? With all the training I get." Gohan shrugged. "You're training too aren't you?"

Goku nodded. He placed his hands on his hips. "I'm training with the strongest warriors of all times! It's very exciting. I get to meet new and stronger warriors every day!"

"It sounds amazing." Gohan looked around. "Is this the world you live in?"

"This is the world your mind created." Goku glanced around too. "It looks nice." He said as he studied the warm tinted surroundings. It looked like they were standing on clouds. The light-pink shade of the air seemed comforting around them.

Gohan looked up at his father. "How long can I stay here with you?" He asked.

Goku smiled. "As long as you want."

Darkness.

Gohan woke up with a start. The half-saiyan frowned as he looked around. He was still in his bed. Was it all just a dream? Had he really spoken with his father last night or did he imagine it all?

Gohan looked up at the ceiling and he smiled. What did it matter? He could feel the warmth in his body. It still filled him with glee while he got dressed for yet another day. Even as he knelt down in front of his master and silently listened to the man's orders, his mind was still with the wonderful dream.

He realized that his father was right. Gohan would always be with the man in their beautiful private dream world because it was in Gohan's heart, and nobody would be able to take that away from him.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Until next time!**


	21. Chapter 21: New Destination: Planet Yuna

**Hey guys! Here is a new chapter for you!**

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

"_He does not care about my power because he thinks I'm weak." _

"_That's where you're wrong." Tobney answered. "Vegeta keeps an eye on all of us but especially on you. You're a saiyan, just like him. He knows the strength jumps you can make after every fight. He is following your every move. When he finds out you're trying to hide your strength from him…" _

"_I'm not doing anything like that." Gohan yelled at him. "Why won't you believe me?"_

"_I don't want to punish you again!" Tobney screamed back. "I hate that. You know I do."_

_Gohan looked away while Tobney placed a hand on his forehead. The two took a few calming breaths. "Gohan. I'm worried about you." Tobney muttered. Gohan looked up at him. "You work day and night and keep dangerous secrets from Vegeta. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."_

_Gohan smiled up at him. "Don't worry. I know what I can and cannot do. I'm not stupid enough to test Vegeta."_

"_Yes. You are. You've done it before." Tobney answered as he crossed his arms. "Do I need to remind you of the Yuna punishment?"_

_Gohan turned away from Tobney once more, now stepping back into the room. Tobney's hand landed on his shoulder. "Nobody knows what happened on that planet but we do know that you and Vegeta stayed there for four weeks." Tobney could feel Gohan tense. "You came back a changed boy. Timid, soft speaking. Something happened on that planet but you and Vegeta refuse to tell anyone."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Ooooh, you said no to Vegeta? You daredevil." Tobney teased._

_The half-saiyan pushed the man's hands off his shoulders. "Damn it. I should have realized what you were doing." He muttered as he walked to his bed. "You're not allowed to read our minds, remember?"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Suno, Itoro and Kaon were holding his limbs tightly while Comora was floating behind him, aiming a blast at his neck area. He realized this because of the peak in energy and because of the warmth he could feel oozing off of the blast. _

"_What's going on?" Gohan asked, feeling sick to his stomach when the others tightened their grip on his shoulders and arms. "Let me go." _

"_Relax." Comora replied as he placed his free hand on Gohan's shoulder. "We're just going to take a brief look into your mind. Just to find out whether you've been hiding anything from us." _

_Gohan looked ahead to find Tobney floating closer to him. The boy shook his head. "Tobney. You're my friend." _

"_You're supposed to be my friend but that doesn't keep you from lying to me." Tobney replied as he stared into Gohan's eyes. The half-saiyan looked down to avoid letting Tobney look in his eyes. Comora's hand fisted a chunk of Gohan's hair and forced him to look up at Tobney. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The half-saiyan was still staring at nothing, wide eyed. His eyes were turquoise and his hair was floating upwards. His body was shaking heavily. Suddenly, Gohan leaned back and screamed, clenching his fists. His power exploded around them, forcing the warriors to put up their hands in protection and float back. _

"_Gohan!" Comora yelled at him as he lowered his arm somewhat. "Calm down! You're not allowed to lose control, remember!" _

"_Listen to your boss, Gohan!" Suno added, clenching his fists._

"_You're in so much trouble if you don't calm down right now!" Itoro said, sounding unconvinced._

_Gohan did seem to hear them. Suno was holding the unconscious Tobney. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, looking up. _

_Comora pinched the bridge of his nose before he pressed on a button on his scouter. "Lord Vegeta?" He said, sounding miserable. "We've got a situation here…" _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_You two may be strong but you're still little brats and if you cannot behave like proper soldiers I can make your lives very miserable." Vegeta said, sounding so angry that the two warriors did not really know how to respond. "Do you understand me?" He snarled. _

"_Yes lord Vegeta." Two voices sounded in unison._

"_Good. When you return to the mother ship I will have a stern word with both of you. For now, keep your heads down and behave while you travel back to my ship." _

"_Yes lord Vegeta." The two voices said again. The screen turned black. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 21. New Destination: Planet Yuna**

Gohan flew backwards when several ki-blasts were sent in his direction. He crossed his arms in front of him to protect his body. The half-saiyan could feel the heat of the attacks burning his arms.

"Come on!" Vegeta yelled at him. Gohan floated back when the man attacked him once more. The half-saiyan did his best to avoid the punches thrown in his direction. "Show me your level nine strength!"

Gohan weakly caught a punch. He was used to holding back his strength so he wasn't really sure how to power up fully. Vegeta grabbed Gohan's other hand and he pushed the boy back until Gohan's back slammed into the wall. The man pushed Gohan's hands up against the wall, pinning the boy.

"Fight me!" Vegeta snarled at him. Gohan met Vegeta's gaze and Vegeta was angered even more by Gohan's confused expression.

The older saiyan pulled back a leg and kneed Gohan in his stomach. The half-saiyan gasped in pain, but Vegeta did it again and again, forcing all the air out of the young saiyan's body. The boy arms started shaking because he was trying to free them from Vegeta's grip but Vegeta only pushed them against the wall harder.

The man kneed Gohan again but kept his knee buried in Gohan's stomach now, enjoying Gohan's pained moans. The boy realized that his eyes were closed and he opened them, meeting Vegeta's gaze. The man could feel that Gohan was powering up. The boy was probably planning on attacking Vegeta when he wasn't paying attention.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes for a moment and he moved his head back before head-butting the half-saiyan. Gohan let out a groan as he reached up to touch his forehead. Vegeta was floating back to the center of the room, keeping his eyes on the half-saiyan at all times.

Gohan frowned as powered up. He clenched his fists and concentrated on the power in his body. He could feel it fill him up and he noticed he started to transform to the Super Saiyan level.

Vegeta watched as Gohan transformed, keeping tabs on his power level, but he frowned when Gohan's power settled far below him. The man shook his head. "That's not good enough!"

"This is all I can do."

"Liar!" Vegeta launched at Gohan again but the half-saiyan was ready this time. Gohan focused and managed to catch the first few punches. He retaliated with a couple of powerful head-on attacks and he felt some satisfaction when all his attacks landed. The boy tried to punch Vegeta again but the man caught his fist. Vegeta held onto Gohan's fist and tried to punch the half-saiyan but Gohan caught Vegeta's fist.

The two stared at each other as they powered up. Gohan narrowed his eyes as he pushed against Vegeta's hands. The half-saiyan was not planning on giving up but when he looked in Vegeta's eyes he could see the same determination. This was not only a battle of physical strength but also mental power. Who was going to cave first?

A smirk appeared on Vegeta's face as he squeezed Gohan's bandaged hand. The hand Vegeta cut a V-shape in yesterday. The wound was still healing and it was very sensitive. Gohan managed to ignore it until now but this was too painful to ignore. Gohan let out a gasp and he tried to pull back but Vegeta held onto his hand. The man continued to squeeze Gohan's hand, enjoying Gohan's groans of pain.

The half-saiyan bit his lip and powered up enough to push Vegeta away. The man grinned widely now. "That's more like it!" He encouraged before he beckoned for Gohan to attack him.

The young warrior disappeared from his place and reappeared behind Vegeta in order to surprise the man but Vegeta managed to block his attack. Gohan made a disapproving clicking sound with his tongue and he flew back to create some distance between them.

The two warriors used this moment to take a breather. Vegeta was the first one to attack Gohan but the half-saiyan was prepared this time. The young warrior brought up his arm to block the man's attack but Vegeta disappeared from his sight. Gohan lowered his arm and looked around. His senses warned him a nano-second before Vegeta's fist touch the back of his head.

Gohan flew forward, off balance, and he blinked to get the stars out of his vision. The half-saiyan growled in annoyance. That was a cheap shot but the man didn't hit hard at all. The attack wasn't meant to hurt the half-saiyan. Vegeta was messing with him. This was the prince's way of being playful.

Gohan turned around and was even more annoyed when Vegeta just sent him a smug smirk. The man was trying to egg him on. Fine. Gohan powered up even more. He pushed and pushed, keeping a close eye on Vegeta while he tried to elevate his power. The man wasn't in a hurry to attack him.

They had all day.

After the training, Vegeta forbid Gohan to use the rejuvenation tank. If Gohan would be healed by the tank now the cut Vegeta made yesterday would disappear as well and Vegeta wanted it to stay.

The half-saiyan was rummaging through the cupboards, searching for a rejuvenation serum so he could treat his wounds. Vegeta used the tank while Gohan took a shower and changed into new clothes. The man allowed Gohan to treat the more serious wounds with a serum but Gohan was not planning on walking around looking all beaten up. He would use the serum on every bruise he could find on his body, except for the V-shaped wound on his hand. Vegeta promised to redo it if he thought Gohan was secretly treating it with the serum.

Gohan closed the cupboard with a bang and gave it an angry push. Where the hell was everything?

"What did the cupboard do to you?" Sianna smiled as she placed a pile of clean towels in one of the closets.

"Do you know where the rejuvenation serums are?"

Sianna nodded and walked over to another cupboard and opened a drawer. She pulled out a small glass bottle with the special blue liquid in it. Gohan accepted the bottle and thanked her. Sianna said it was no problem and she walked to the laundry baskets.

Gohan took off his shirt. He quickly pulled on some clothing that was allowed to get dirty, since he would get blood on them. Even after his quick shower some wounds were still bleeding. He had several injuries, given to him by the blasts that hit his body. Vegeta was not one to take it easy on his opponent.

The half-saiyan started with spraying the serum on his arms and hands. The serum would take a couple of minutes so Gohan moved on to his chest and abdominal area.

"Do you need some help?" Sianna was standing right next to him. "You have a rather big wound on your back here." Her fingers touched his spine and Gohan tensed.

"Sure. Thanks." Gohan handed her the serum before turning his back on her. He could feel the serum being sprayed on his back on several places.

"You two really go at it, huh?" Sianna muttered as she studied the gash in Gohan's side. She sprayed some of the serum on it. "Maybe you should try taking it easy."

"That's not very saiyan like." Gohan responded, turning back to her.

"Close your eyes." She ordered, and Gohan obeyed. The young woman placed her hand over Gohan's eyes to protect them before spraying some serum on his cheek and forehead. "It might not be saiyan like but watching you get beaten up every day isn't all that fun either."

Her hand was removed from his eyes and he opened them, staring straight into her yellow orbs. "You sound worried."

She sent him a glare. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't care if you two kill each other." She responded as she tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear. The young woman looked him over and she placed a hand on his chest. "There's one large wound here." She muttered before spraying some serum on it. "What the hell did you do?"

Gohan was looking down at her hand while she was busy treating his wounds. Her slender fingers, just below his collarbone, touching him. Gohan could feel his cheeks getting warmer and he looked away.

"That's just what happens." Gohan muttered as he stared straight at the wall next to him. "We get carried away."

"I'll say." She stepped back and noticed a blood stain on the lower part of his white pants. "Okay. Now if you would take off your pants I can treat the wound down there."

Gohan's face snapped back to Sianna. "What?"

"Take off your pants."

"I'm not going to take off my pants."

"Why not?"

"You're here."

"So?" She brushed through her long brown hair.

"You're a girl."

"And you're a baby. Don't be such a pain in the ass."

"I'm _not _a baby! I'm nearly fourteen, you know!"

A hint of a smile appeared on her face. "Alright, tough guy." She teased before she knelt down. "Then sit on the table and hold the leg of your pants up so I can treat your wound."

"I can treat my own wounds just fine." Gohan snatched the serum out of her hands and waved her away. "Don't you have better things to do?"

She huffed and turned away from him. "You're welcome." She snarled before she walked back to the dirty laundry baskets. Gohan watched her walk out the room, which she did without even looking in his direction, before he placed his foot against the edge of the cabinet and rolled up his pants.

"Baby…" He muttered darkly.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan was back in Vegeta's office, sitting at his old desk. Vegeta did not follow through with his initial threat of demoting Gohan to a slave, but he did force the boy to abandon his own office for a while and start working in Vegeta's office again.

This meant that Gohan had to adjust back to the old situation. It also meant that Gohan was forced to bring Vegeta something to drink whenever the man felt like it and do any other task Vegeta could think of. Aside from that, Gohan used to listen to music while working, but Vegeta worked in complete silence, which was something Gohan had to get used to as well.

Vegeta told the half-saiyan to check if all the third-class soldiers got their payment this season. It was a boring job. All he had to do was click on the payment files, check if the payments were completed and move on. The half-saiyan was sure this was supposed to be someone else's job. Vegeta kept giving him these lame assignments lately. Anything to keep the half-saiyan from working on important tasks.

The boy touched upon the folder of the Suta Team. This made him curious. He had been wondering how much the others got for their work for a while now. Gohan opened the file and studied it.

"Hey Vegeta… Eh... I mean, Lord Vegeta." Gohan corrected himself quickly. Vegeta promised Gohan that Dende would get ten whiplashes every time Gohan refused to call Vegeta by his title, and Gohan hoped this correction would let him off the hook.

"Hmmm?" Vegeta replied, not looking up from his work.

"I'm looking through the Suta Team files, and I can't find Tobney's salary. We should do something about that. Maybe it's a bug? I don't think he would appreciate it if…"

"Tobney doesn't get paid." Vegeta interrupted him, still not looking up.

"He doesn't get paid?" Gohan repeated, sounding and looking very confused. "I thought all the soldiers received credits for their services." Vegeta did not reply to this so Gohan continued: "But I've seen him spent credits. Where did he get that if he does not get paid?"

"Comora gets the money Tobney earns every mission so Tobney gets it eventually. He just has to ask Comora whenever he wants some."

"Why?" Gohan's eyes moved to Comora's salary file and he noticed the extra amount on his document. "Don't tell me you're afraid that he might save up money in order to run from the army?"

"Tobney knows that if he runs from my army he's a dead man." Vegeta replied, sounding more annoyed by now. "What are you doing in the elite soldiers' files anyway? You should be looking at the salaries of the third-class soldiers. Now do that."

"Yes sir." Gohan looked back at the screen, feeling oddly connected to Tobney. He knew that they had a similar past but he always assumed Tobney got paid. Gohan thought he was the only working soldier who received no money for his work.

The signal that someone was approaching Vegeta's office sounded and Gohan quickly got off his chair and ran over to Vegeta so he could assume his position next to the man. He was such a proper servant.

"Good afternoon, Lord Vegeta." The man said in a whiny tone. "I came here as usual to rent some slaves. I need about fifty to serve during my party."

"Of course." Vegeta stated as he leaned on the desk with his arm. "What kind were you looking for?" Gohan studied the man as he stood next to Vegeta. He did not like Crisus. The man always gave him these strange looks that made Gohan shiver.

"Boys. Age ten to fifteen. The uniform will require them to be topless so I'd prefer if the boys had a nicely toned body. The slaves who do the heavier manual labor should do just fine." Crisus drawled as his eyes ran over Gohan.

Vegeta nodded and pressed on a button on his desk. "Denisra. Assemble all the male slaves between the age of ten and fifteen in the ballroom." He ordered before he released the button. "It will be arranged." He mentioned to Crisus.

"What about him?" Crisus indicated to Gohan. "He looks the part already. He is a slave, right?" Normal slaves wore a silver band around their neck as a sign that they were slaves, aside from the brand on their palms. Gohan did not wear that because it would be a waste of time and effort to break the necklace every time Gohan went out on a mission. The mark on the palm of his hand was the only sign that he was a slave and his hands were now curled together behind his back so Crisus could not see it.

"Certainly." Vegeta replied, nodding.

Crisus turned to Gohan. "Come here boy and let me take a look at you." He ordered. Gohan stepped closer to the man. "Turn around and back." Gohan did as he was told and was ordered to step closer again. Crisus looked at Vegeta. "May I?" He asked the man.

Vegeta nodded and Crisus reached out to feel Gohan's biceps. He pinched and prodded a bit before ordering Gohan to undress himself from the waist up. Gohan tried not to complain as he pulled off his armor and pulled his uniform down until it was hanging around his waist. After this he had to turn yet again.

"Oh dear." Crisus sighed sadly. "That won't do at all. I don't understand you soldiers. You train your bodies and make yourself look significant." The man's eyes stayed on Gohan's unclad upper body so long that Gohan started to feel uncomfortable. "And then you ruin it by fighting and letting yourself get scarred like that." The man made a waving gesture. "Cover it up quickly." He ordered before turning to Vegeta while Gohan reached down to grab his uniform.

"Please tell me you've got unscathed slaves." Crisus said, frowning a little.

"I've got them all assembled in the ballroom. You can decide which ones are good enough for your event." Vegeta replied. "I will let my guards escort you to the ballroom. GUARDS!" Vegeta called the last word and the two guards outside Vegeta's room came inside. "Escort Sir Crisus to the ballroom. I will be with you shortly."

Crisus thanked him and left the room.

Gohan was just clicking the band of his armor into the rightful slot when Vegeta sat down again. "I thought you were going to make me go through with that." Gohan muttered in a complaining voice.

"Slaves don't speak unless spoken to." Vegeta replied in a calm voice as he typed something in his computer. "He hates scars."

Gohan glanced sideways. "You knew he was going to turn me down?" He asked, frowning. "You let me go through that for no reason?"

"Go through what? Being treated as livestock?" Vegeta snarled as he turned to Gohan fully. "You need to learn how lucky you are. There are slaves who go through that every day. They get sold from master to master and end up in horrible places. You should be thanking me on your bare knees that I give you all this freedom."

"Of course!" Gohan snarled back. "I'm not really a slave!"

"You sold yourself to me in exchange for your planet." Vegeta yelled at him as he jumped up. "You are my property and it's time you started behaving like it!"

Gohan glared back at him. "I didn't mean it like that at the time." He responded. "You know that as well as I do."

"I can't read your mind." Vegeta's hands reached out to a small round blue machine. "I only have your words." The man pressed on the red button in the middle of the machine and the machine lit up. Suddenly, they could hear a younger version of Gohan's voice, loud and clear.

Gohan pressed his lips together as he listened to the recorded message of his own voice: "In exchange for the safety and protection of planet Earth and all its inhabitants, I, Son Gohan, hereby pledge my loyalty to Lord Vegeta and I promise to serve him while he protects planet Earth. As long as planet earth is safe, my life and everything I do belongs to lord Vegeta."

Before the last mission, Gohan hadn't heard his own voice recording in a long time. Several years ago, Gohan made a deal with Vegeta. Planet earth's safety in exchange for Gohan's servitude as a soldier. Later that day, Vegeta told Gohan to make it official by recording himself as he promised to be Vegeta's soldier. To show Vegeta that he meant every word of his deal, he obeyed the order without any complaints, but only later did he realize that the fuzzy choice of words gave Vegeta enough room to assume pretty much anything about Gohan's manner of servitude.

Lately, Vegeta had the tendency to use the voice recording to tell Gohan off. Just like now. Gohan scoffed as he crossed his arms over each other. "How many times are you going to make me listen to that?"

"As many times as is necessary."

"This isn't fair." Gohan muttered more to himself than to Vegeta.

"Hey, you chose for this deal. You only have yourself to blame." Vegeta shut down his computer. "For now, we need to help that horrible man. Keep in mind that we have to make him sign the document that states he cannot damage the slaves in any way. I don't trust that man for a second. "

"Yes, sir." Gohan nodded and waited for Vegeta to start walking. As they passed his desk, Gohan quickly reached out and shut off his computer as well. He might not want to be on this ship but that didn't mean he had to waste power.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Vegeta pulled back the whip and let it smash into the flesh of his victim. He smirked when he heard the boy's pained groan and he licked his lips. The man rolled his shoulders a few times before grasping the whip a little better and pulling it back again. Oh, he missed the sounds of pain and suffering. He needed to go on a mission again soon.

Comora studied the scene in front of him. He'd seen Vegeta's bad moods many times and he was not surprised that the man would take it out on the half-saiyan. The boy was the closest to him, the easiest to attack, and the only one who could not run away.

"Will you join us, Comora?" Vegeta stated as he moved the whip down. "The more the merrier."

The second-in-command walked closer, crossing his arms over each other. "I wanted to talk to you about Gohan. Will he still be attending the training sessions with the Suta Team?" He asked.

Vegeta glanced at the older soldier. "Of course. Why not?"

"Because of the demotion." Comora replied, shrugging. "I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I know it's going to be a while until we go on our next mission but I am planning on teaching the others some new techniques."

"Count him in." Vegeta tightened his grip on the whip. Comora watched how Gohan's hands tensed up for a split second before Vegeta's whip hit his back again. The boy knew exactly when the hits were coming. That probably made this whole ordeal even worse for him. The half-saiyan let his head hang down afterwards. The boy's legs were shaking but he forced his body to keep standing.

"You want a go? It's fun." Vegeta glanced at the other soldier.

"No thanks. How did you get him calm enough to tie him up?" Comora asked curiously. It was difficult to punish Gohan because the boy tended to resist, and he was getting so strong that subduing him was getting more and more impossible. This room was created for these kinds of activities so the black ropes were already hanging from the ceiling. The metal bonds around Gohan's wrists were connected to those ropes in order to keep Gohan in the same place.

Vegeta pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and Comora looked back to see a handful of slaves. They were shaking and shivering, closing their eyes and trying to plug their ears with their fingers to not hear the screams that Gohan must have uttered at some point.

Comora nodded and looked back at Gohan. "It's a shame we don't have that at our Suta Team ship." He muttered more to himself than to Vegeta. "That would make the punishments a lot easier."

"You have Sianna." Vegeta's amused expression turned to Comora. "That little whore wormed her way into his heart so easily it's sickening."

Gohan's tail made a weak but angry sweep at Vegeta's words, falling down afterwards. Vegeta only pulled back the whip and lashed Gohan once more. The boy let out a strangled groan. He sank through his knees, the ropes around his wrists straining against his flesh.

"Get up." Vegeta ordered in a loud voice.

Comora studied the many bloody wounds on Gohan's back. "Does he deserve this?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at his boss.

Vegeta glanced at him. "Are you getting emotionally attached to the boy?" He asked in a rather mocking manner.

Comora let out a sigh. "He hasn't really done anything to deserve this." He continued. "We haven't punished Tobney with a physical punishment either."

"You should have. Locking him up in his room and making him do chores. You're pathetic." Vegeta snarled back at the man. "You're all getting weak. If only I hadn't practically given that runt to you. He would have been a stronger and more disciplined soldier if I kept him under my wing."

"If you kept him under your wing he would be dead by now." Comora countered as he gave his master a strict glance. "He would have tried to escape and you would have killed him." The man watched as Gohan shakily stood up. "Gohan almost died several times. That's why he's so strong."

"He might be strong but he's also stupid. A smart soldier would have known hiding his strength from his master is not a smart thing to do." Vegeta spoke loudly in order to reach the half-saiyan.

Gohan did not reply. The boy stared at the ground for a moment before closing his eyes. He was too tired to reply anyway.

Comora eyed the blood on the ground. "How long will you be busy with this?" He asked. "Gohan has a training session with me this afternoon. I would like to see him there. Alive."

Vegeta chuckled before he tossed the bloodied whip in the direction of the slaves. "Clean that." He ordered before walking to Gohan. There he started to untie the boy's wrist. "Be glad that uncle Comora cannot stomach torture sessions anymore. I would have been able to keep this up for hours and hours." He teased.

Comora untied Gohan's other wrist. The half-saiyan tried to keep standing but his knees buckled under him and he landed on all-fours.

Vegeta looked up at his second-in-command. "Did you prepare everything for my departure?"

Comora nodded once. "I am ready to take care of the business while you're gone." He stated.

The saiyan prince nodded approvingly. "Good. I want to have a meeting this week. Just to go over the last few bits and pieces. How about tomorrow at eight?" He suggested before reaching down and grabbing Gohan by his ravaged wrist.

"Fine. I'll be there." Comora glanced at the tired half-saiyan. "Do you want me to bring him to a rejuvenation tank?"

Vegeta shook his head and moved up his hand to pull Gohan up. The half-saiyan bit his lip and forced his body to stand up but his knees were shaking so heavily that he had trouble standing up straight. "I'll bring him. Why don't you take care of your delinquent and I'll take care of mine."

Comora glanced at the half-saiyan and he realized that Gohan was looking down. The half-saiyan had not spoken a word. He'd been silent through it all. That was not like Gohan at all. Comora eyed the half-saiyan's appearance. Aside from the wounds on Gohan's back, the half-saiyan was sporting several bruises on his face and body. He even had a black eye. Just how harsh had Vegeta been treating Gohan lately?

Comora briefly brushed his fingers through Gohan's unruly black hair as a greeting before bowing to his master and turning away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lord." He stated.

"Tomorrow." Vegeta promised as he nodded. The man did not watch Comora walk away but he turned to Gohan. "Can you stand?"

"Yes." Gohan snarled back. "… Sir." He growled afterwards. He knew not to make Vegeta angry right now. It was bad for his health.

The man studied Gohan for a moment before offering the boy his shoulder. Gohan was hesitant but he knew he would not make it to the rejuvenation tank on his own. The boy accepted Vegeta's help and the two started walking.

Gohan was silent while they walked. Vegeta was never really talkative. The boy felt really uncomfortable. It's been a while since Vegeta hurt him like this. He did not really know what to do. Was he supposed to let Vegeta help him? Was he supposed to try to walk alone? He knew he would not make it all the way to the rejuvenation room and Vegeta was not patient enough to wait for him. Gohan figured it was best to just let this happen.

There was one thing that he did know for sure though. "I did not deserve this." He growled towards his master.

Vegeta did not look at him. "That's for me to decide."

"I didn't do anything!" Gohan exclaimed as he glanced sideways.

"You hid your strength from me."

"After you told me you would kill me if I got too strong!"

"So you figured hiding how strong you got would be smart. You figured I'm too stupid to realize how fast your strength grows, just like mine."

Gohan looked down. "I still did not deserve this. You're just being a jerk."

Vegeta glanced at the half-saiyan. Unbelievable. Even after all this pain and suffering the boy still had the guts to insult his boss. Vegeta smirked as he looked ahead again. There were not many soldiers who managed to stay alive under Vegeta's reign and Gohan was definitely pushing his patience almost every day… But somehow... Vegeta never really got the urge to kill the boy. He did not know why.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan stalked to Comora, who was stretching his arms. The half-saiyan's expression was a determined one as he approached his squad leader.

"Ah, Gohan." Comora greeted when he noticed the half-saiyan. "I've been eager to fight you. Ever since the last mission I've been dying to show you how a real warrior fights."

Gohan placed his hands on his hips. "Why did you stop Vegeta today?"

Comora's tough-guy act faltered and he made a confused frown. "I thought you would be happy with that."

"I am." Gohan responded. "But you shouldn't have done that. You don't have to help me."

"I know I don't have to help you. I didn't even plan on trying it. Vegeta just fell for my first comment. It was easy." The man shrugged. "You two just need to be reminded of your mutual respect for each other and everything will be better in no time. You'll see."

"I don't need your help." Gohan repeated. "You can't fix everything. You tried to fix the relationship between Tobney and Vegeta but that didn't work, and this won't work either. Lord Vegeta and I will never get along."

Comora studied the half-saiyan. "You shouldn't make decisions based on a couple of rough days. You're not in the right mindset to say things like that right now. Just because you're angry now that doesn't mean you'll still feel like that in a couple of weeks."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that even though saiyans have a quick healing ability there seems to be a constant bruise on your face." Comora replied. Gohan's hand automatically moved to the bruise on his cheek. The place where Vegeta punched him only ten minutes ago. "So Vegeta is giving you a hard time. He's angry. He should be. You behaved badly. Give him a few weeks and it will be over. He'll be treating you like he normally does."

"This is how he normally treats me!" Gohan snarled back. "There's nothing new here. He's always been treating me like this."

"You know that's not true." Comora replied, shaking his head.

"I don't care what you think. I don't need your help. You can only make it worse."

"Fine. You don't want me to help you. I get it." Comora placed his hands on his hips and he narrowed his bright-red eyes at the half-saiyan. "I also understand that you're angry and that you want to take it out on someone but you chose the wrong person here. I've been patient until now but if you don't stop mouthing off at your superordinate right now I will add fifty more lashes to your back, got it?"

Gohan lowered his gaze. "Yes."

"Just yes?"

"Yes, sir." Gohan corrected. "I'm sorry."

"Good. Now, as I said before, I expect you to fight me to your full potential." Comora continued. Gohan listened in silence as Comora explained what he wanted to do today. The half-saiyan realized that he was about to go through the exact same situation as he went through earlier when he was fighting Vegeta. Comora would be egging Gohan on, telling the boy to power up and fight with his full strength. Gohan would be ignored every time he said that he wasn't sure how to reach that high level again.

The half-saiyan stretched his arms. He might as well make the best of it. The two warriors took their positions opposite each other and Gohan sank through his knees a bit, holding his arms up to protect his body. Game on.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The Suta Team wing. They had an entire ship for themselves and where the ships used to fly separately, they were now combined into a large system of space ships. Vegeta's ship was in the middle and four other ships were connected to the sides of the mother ship.

The Suta Team had the tendency to spend their time together. They had their own quarters and offices for whenever they did not feel like being with others, but that didn't happen often.

Gohan entered the room and noticed there was a relaxed atmosphere. Tobney was casually lying on the couch, his eyes closed. Comora had a laptop on his lap and was typing away on it. Suno and Itoro were sitting at the table with their own laptops. Gohan knew that Kaon was visiting his family today.

The half-saiyan noticed there was a soft and gentle musical tune playing. Man, this atmosphere was a lot better than the icy coldness of Vegeta's office.

Tobney was the first one to look up and notice him. "Hey Gohan!" He greeted as he waved.

Gohan smiled when the others greeted him as well and he walked over to the couch where Tobney was lying... The older warrior sat up to give Gohan room to sit down.

Comora sent Gohan a questioning glance. "Do you have a message from lord Vegeta?"

Gohan shook his head. "No. I just came by to say hi." The half-saiyan turned to Tobney. "I tried calling you but I couldn't get through."

Tobney glanced at the others before sending Gohan a hesitant smile. "I think it's the aftermath of my behavior during the mission." He responded in a soft whisper so only Gohan could hear it. "They've been a bit strict."

The half-saiyan studied his friend worriedly. "Did they hurt you?" He whispered back.

Tobney shook his head. "No. I think they're passed that. Now they just become plain annoying." The boy sent a glance to the others to make sure they weren't listening in before turning his attention to Gohan again. "What about you? I overheard Comora talking about a severe punishment. What happened?"

"It's okay." Gohan responded. "It will only make me stronger." The half-saiyan glanced around. "Can we get out of here?"

Tobney nodded and looked at Comora. "Can I take a walk?" He asked.

"Nope."

"Come on, Comora. Just a brief one." Tobney pleaded. "I want to talk to Gohan for a sec."

"Tobney." Comora said in a dangerous tone.

The young warrior leaned back on his seat and sent the half-saiyan an apologetic expression. "See what I mean?"

"It's okay. We can talk here." Gohan replied, smiling back. He was happy to be in the company of someone other than Vegeta.

The two talked for a while and they exchanged stories about their experiences the past few days. Gohan spoke about his encounter with Sianna and Tobney relayed an anecdote about a date with a girl he had just yesterday evening.

"That was the girl you told us you broke up with, right?" Itoro asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tobney shrugged innocently. "We got back together?" He tried.

Suno snickered. "Right." He responded.

Gohan grinned when Tobney made a face at him. Tobney decided that it was okay to talk about his girlfriend since the others knew that they weren't really broken up. Gohan saw to that.

Suno suddenly looked up. "Wait a minute." He turned sideways and leaned on the back leaning of the chair with his arm. "Aren't you supposed to be silent today?"

Itoro looked up. "Oh. Right."

"Guys…" Tobney complained.

"No. They're right. You are not supposed to talk." Comora responded before looking at Gohan. "It's time for you to go back to your master."

Gohan nodded and got up. "Yes sir." He glanced at Tobney before he started walking to the doorway. Once he was out of their sight, he heard Tobney's voice and he stopped walking.

"You don't have to be such a jerk about it, Comora." Tobney complained.

"Be quiet."

"This isn't fair! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You went too far during your search through Gohan's mind."

"You _told _me to do that!"

"Don't raise your voice, Tobney. Remember your manners." Gohan recognized Suno's voice for a change, but Comora took over the conversation after that.

"I told you to go in, get the information and get out. You decided to take a detour through his memories all on your own and look what that brought us. It's your fault that Gohan is going through all this pain right now."

"I didn't mean to go that far in. It's not my fault that I cannot develop my telepathic abilities."

"There is a reason for that. We don't want you to get too good at that." Comora responded.

"You mean that jerk doesn't want me to get too good at it. I know what I can do. I read about it. Mister high and mighty is afraid of my abilities."

"The walls have ears here, Tobney." Suno interrupted. "Don't say things like that."

"Where did you get information about your race's abilities?" Comora asked.

"Tssk. I thought you wanted me to be silent?" Tobney responded before Gohan heard the sound of the couch creaking. He realized that Tobney must have lied down on the couch again. The half-saiyan decided to move on before one of them noticed he was still there.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Vegeta leaned on his desk with his elbows. "Let the coordinators know that the ship has a new destination." He said, glancing at the half-saiyan. "Planet Yuna."

"Planet Yuna?" Gohan repeated as he stared at his boss. The boy could not help but look shocked, and Vegeta must have noticed this because he sent the boy a questioning glance.

"Got a problem?"

"I just… Why planet Yuna?"

"Not that it's your place to question my decisions, but I decided that it's time for a challenge." Vegeta replied. "We could certainly use it."

"We?" Gohan immediately picked up on that.

"Yes, we." Vegeta leaned back on his seat.

"Why me?" Gohan asked. "Why can't you go alone?"

"I can't play the game by myself." Vegeta snarled back, growling afterwards. These questions were getting annoying.

"Why can't you take someone else? Comora or Tobney or any other member of the Suta Team…"

"Aren't as strong as you are." Vegeta interrupted. "Comora will be taking care of the company while I'm gone so he cannot join me. Tobney still has to fight the urge to gag whenever he sees me. I might be a cruel man but I'm not that cruel. I'm not going to force him to spend a month on a planet with me."

"But you are willing to force me." Gohan stated, frowning a little.

Vegeta got up and walked closer to the half-saiyan. "You are a saiyan." He started. "You belong with other saiyans. It's your duty to serve your prince. You are my personal assistant." Gohan rolled his eyes while Vegeta continued: "I am your boss. You sold yourself to me."

"Okay. Okay." Gohan snarled at the man. "I get it."

"No I don't think you do." Vegeta placed his hands on Gohan's desk. The boy looked up at him. "The Yuna month is an excellent trial for warriors like us and I am planning on making this a tradition that we will continue for a very long time."

The half-saiyan narrowed his eyes for a moment. "A very long time?" He asked. "So… For many years?" He added. "You made plans for me for many years to come?"

Vegeta chuckled as he pushed away from Gohan's desk. The man motioned for Gohan to get up and the half-saiyan obeyed this order, following his master through the room. "Comora told me about your fears. You're afraid I'm going to kill you because I fear your strength." The man turned to Gohan. "You should learn to recognize the difference between a threat and a promise. The things I said to you when you first joined the army were purely bluff."

"What?" Gohan asked.

"Yes. I know that you get strong very quickly. That's why I wanted you to work for me. Is there a chance that you will overpower me someday? Yes. That's very likely. When the time comes you can choose to have a battle to the death with me. The decision lies entirely in your hands and I am eager to find out whether you will take that chance or not." The man studied the half-saiyan. "You're a saiyan. You were born for greatness and only here can you achieve ultimate greatness."

"So… You're not going to kill me?" Gohan had a hard time believing this.

"As long as you stay loyal to me I won't. I took you in so I could make you the strongest warrior alive. I want you to continue the Saiyan lineage as a strong independent man." Vegeta said. "And I have to admit," The man placed a hand on Gohan's unruly hair, "you're already on the right path."

Gohan gave the man an uncertain glance. Vegeta has been cruel to him the last few days and this rather gentle gesture made Gohan feel uncomfortable.

"But for now," Vegeta tightened his grip on Gohan's hair and the half-saiyan gasped in pain, "you're still not strong enough to overpower me." He pushed Gohan down, forcing the boy to kneel down. "So your place is right here. At my feet." Gohan placed his hands on the ground to make sure he wouldn't fall down as Vegeta pushed his head close to the man's white boots. "Got it?"

"Yes master."

"Where is your place?"

"At your feet, master." Gohan replied automatically. Vegeta gave him one last push downwards before he released the half-saiyan and walked back to his desk. Gohan sat up. Nope. Vegeta hadn't changed at all.

The half-saiyan made his way back to his desk and he sat down so he could send a message to the coordination center.

Planet Yuna.

Gohan placed a hand on his forehead and tried not to sigh miserably. He did not like planet Yuna. He didn't have good memories of the planet. His previous stay there might have gotten him a great power boost but he hadn't enjoyed his month of residence there.

The half-saiyan pressed the "send" button and finally let out a sigh. He was not looking forward to this.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! **

**Sayonara!**


	22. Chapter 22: When Push Comes to Shove

**Hey everyone!**

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

_Tobney leaned on the windowsill with his hands. "Vegeta told me to look outside because the view of my planet was just too beautiful to miss. I witnessed the most amazing fireworks that day, and my planet was the main event. It exploded right in front of me."_

_Gohan's mouth was open. He gave a horrified expression. Tobney clenched his fists as he continued: "Vegeta gave me three days to accept a position in his army. After that he put me in a couple of different teams but they couldn't control me, so he figured the Suta Team would know what to do with me. They took me in and…" Tobney's gaze moved down to his hands. "They were too much for me. I gave up."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Gohan's eyes were glued to her bright yellow eyes. They made him think of the cats on planet Earth… but then in a very nice way. Vegeta looked at the information on the computer screen. "She's the youngest of the bunch. Only sixteen years old." He said thoughtfully. "What do you think?" He asked curiously. "No comments?" The man glanced sideways, shifting slightly when he noticed Gohan's expression. _

_Vegeta was smart enough to recognize an expression like this one, especially on a young boy's face. "Boy?" Vegeta asked. Gohan did not respond so Vegeta tapped against his shoulder. Gohan flinched and looked at his master. "You're interested in her, aren't you?"_

"_No." Gohan answered immediately. _

"_I'm buying her. You're a soldier too, of course." Vegeta answered as he tapped on the bidding button. "She'll be your personal concubine." _

_(….) _

_The girl frowned at him. "My name is Gohan. What is yours?"_

"_I don't know my real name." She answered. "I was drugged a long time after I was kidnapped. I forgot. They called me Kishi."_

"_Kishi." Gohan repeated. "Do you want to keep that name or do you want to have a different one? You can start over here."_

"_Why can't I leave the room?" Kishi asked. _

"_You are currently living the private ship of lord Vegeta." Gohan answered. "There are many soldiers here every day. You might not be safe on your own."_

"_Then let me go." Kishi answered. _

"_That's not my decision to make." Gohan got up, noticed she tensed, and smiled once more. "Don't worry. I'll stay here. I don't want to hurt you."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The young woman gazed up at him, and Gohan frowned. What was that look she was giving him? Sianna moved her head up and pressed her lips on his mouth. Gohan was so shocked that he jumped back, tripped over his own feet and fell down. _

_Sianna laughed as she got up. "That was easy." She teased as she placed her hands on her hips. _

"_That's not fair!" Gohan complained while he got up too, a frown on his face. _

"_All is fair in love and war." Sianna looked rather pleased with herself. "Maybe I wanted to kiss you." She suggested. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Ooooh, you said no to Vegeta? You daredevil." Tobney teased._

_The half-saiyan pushed the man's hands off his shoulders. "Damn it. I should have realized what you were doing." He muttered as he walked to his bed. "You're not allowed to read our minds, remember?"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Suno, Itoro and Kaon were holding his limbs tightly while Comora was floating behind him, aiming a blast at his neck area. He realized this because of the peak in energy and because of the warmth he could feel oozing off of the blast. _

"_What's going on?" Gohan asked, feeling sick to his stomach when the others tightened their grip on his shoulders and arms. "Let me go." _

"_Relax." Comora replied as he placed his free hand on Gohan's shoulder. "We're just going to take a brief look into your mind. Just to find out whether you've been hiding anything from us." _

_Gohan looked ahead to find Tobney floating closer to him. The boy shook his head. "Tobney. You're my friend." _

"_You're supposed to be my friend but that doesn't keep you from lying to me." Tobney replied as he stared into Gohan's eyes. The half-saiyan looked down to avoid letting Tobney look in his eyes. Comora's hand fisted a chunk of Gohan's hair and forced him to look up at Tobney. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The half-saiyan was still staring at nothing, wide eyed. His eyes were turquoise and his hair was floating upwards. His body was shaking heavily. Suddenly, Gohan leaned back and screamed, clenching his fists. His power exploded around them, forcing the warriors to put up their hands in protection and float back. _

"_Gohan!" Comora yelled at him as he lowered his arm somewhat. "Calm down! You're not allowed to lose control, remember!" _

"_Listen to your boss, Gohan!" Suno added, clenching his fists._

"_You're in so much trouble if you don't calm down right now!" Itoro said, sounding unconvinced._

_Gohan did seem to hear them. Suno was holding the unconscious Tobney. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, looking up. _

_Comora pinched the bridge of his nose before he pressed on a button on his scouter. "Lord Vegeta?" He said, sounding miserable. "We've got a situation here…" _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Gohan frowned as powered up. He clenched his fists and concentrated on the power in his body. He could feel it fill him up and he noticed he started to transform to the Super Saiyan level. _

_Vegeta watched as Gohan transformed, keeping tabs on his power level, but he frowned when Gohan's power settled far below him. The man shook his head. "That's not good enough!" _

"_This is all I can do." _

"_Liar!"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Close your eyes." She ordered, and Gohan obeyed. The young woman placed her hand over Gohan's eyes to protect them before spraying some serum on his cheek and forehead. "It might not be saiyan like but watching you get beaten up every day isn't all that fun either."_

_Her hand was removed from his eyes and he opened them, staring straight into her yellow orbs. "You sound worried." _

_She sent him a glare. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't care if you two kill each other." She responded as she tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear. The young woman looked him over and she placed a hand on his chest. "There's one large wound here." She muttered before spraying some serum on it. "What the hell did you do?"_

"_That's just what happens." Gohan muttered as he stared straight at the wall next to him. "We get carried away."_

"_I'll say." She stepped back and noticed a blood stain on the lower part of his white pants. "Okay. Now if you would take off your pants I can treat the wound down there."_

_Gohan's face snapped back to Sianna. "What?" _

"_Take off your pants."_

"_I'm not going to take off my pants."_

"_Why not?"_

"_You're here."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_I told you to go in, get the information and get out. You decided to take a detour through his memories all on your own." Comora stated._

"_I didn't mean to go that far in. It's not my fault that I cannot develop my telepathic abilities." Tobney snarled._

"_There is a reason for that. We don't want you to get too good at that." Comora responded._

"_You mean that jerk doesn't want me to get too good at it. I know what I can do. I read about it. Mister high and mighty is afraid of my abilities."_

"_The walls have ears here, Tobney." Suno interrupted. "Don't say things like that." _

"_Where did you get information about your race's abilities?" Comora asked. _

"_Tssk. I thought you wanted me to be silent?" Tobney responded before Gohan heard the sound of the couch creaking. He realized that Tobney must have lied down on the couch again. The half-saiyan decided to move on before one of them noticed he was still there. _

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 22. When Push Comes to Shove…**

Tobney walked in the clothing center. He wanted to choose a couple uniforms and armors and take them back to his room. It was easier to have some options in his closet so he didn't have to look the exact same way every day. He liked mixing things up. The warrior looked through the uniforms and he tried to ignore the conversation that was going on behind him. Doing that became significantly more difficult when the conversation topic was his best friend.

Sianna folded the black towel and placed it on the pile with the others. "I think I've done something incredibly stupid." She said as she grabbed another towel.

Denisra and Stirania were folding the large sheets together. "What did you do? Please tell me because I can use something to laugh about." Denisra responded.

Sianna leaned on the table with her hands. "I was talking to Gohan the other day." She said as she looked down at the towels. "He and Vegeta had been sparring again and Gohan always gets so beaten up. He looked horrible. There was blood everywhere. I hated seeing him covered in blood so I offered to help him with the rejuvenation serum." She explained. The other women continued folding while she spoke. "And there was blood all over his lower pants so I figured there was a wound there too…" She took a deep breath. "I told him to take off his pants."

Stirania gasped and Denisra snorted out a laugh. Sianna hid her face behind her hands. Sannerra chuckled as well. "At least he knows your intentions!" She teased.

"It wasn't like that!" Sianna replied, making a horrified face. "Oh, he's going to think I'm a total perv…" She grabbed one of the towels and pushed it against her face, hiding herself from the gazes of the others.

"Ah, what do you care?" Denisra asked as she grabbed a new sheet. "You used to complain about him all the time."

"Yes, you did a one-eighty since you went on that mission." Sannerra replied. She folded a towel and placed it on the pile. "What happened?"

Sianna lowered the towel and shrugged. "He's not that bad." She muttered as she plucked at the towel.

"He's a baby." Sannerra added as she grabbed a clean towel so she could fold it.

"Yes, but have you seen him shirtless?" Denisra showed them a cheeky grin. "As you said, he's still a baby, but if he looks like this now, can you imagine how he will look when he's eighteen?"

"If Vegeta doesn't kill him before that." Sianna muttered more to herself than to the others.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Sianna." Stirania smiled as she studied the young woman. "I think Gohan has been through worse than a cute girl asking him to take off his pants."

Sianna let out a sigh. "I completely blew it, didn't I?"

"Oh come on. Do you see who he has to live with every day?" Sannerra rolled her eyes. "I think he would much rather spend time with you than with that horrible Vegeta." She considered her own words for a moment and then looked over at Stirania. "No offence."

"None taken." Stirania smiled sweetly. "Vegeta can be a monster, especially in bed." She grinned when the others made horrified noises.

"That's not something I want to envision." Sianna muttered, frowning a little.

'_Me neither.' _Tobney thought to himself as he made a horrified face.

"Let's go back to the cuter soldiers." Sannerra said as she folded a towel. "I think Gohan is off limits for you Sianna. Slaves are not allowed to date each other, remember?"

"Gohan is pretty much a soldier." Stirania placed one of the folded sheets on the pile. "Soldiers can have mistresses as long as they don't try to help them escape."

"Yes, but Gohan already has Kishi. She never leaves her room though." Denisra said.

"Why are you talking about this so seriously?" Sianna asked, sounding rather annoyed. "It's not like I have any feelings for him."

"Then why are you so worried about what he thinks of you?" Stirania glanced at Sianna.

Sianna shrugged. "I don't want him to tell everyone I'm a creep." She grabbed one of the towels.

"Oh, speaking about cute soldiers." Denisra leaned on the table and waved at someone behind Sianna and Stirania. "Yoohoo~ Tobney! Come here and sit with us!"

Stirania snickered. "You owe us, Tobney, since you've been listening to our conversation." She added.

"Yeah right." Tobney was carrying his clothing as he stepped closer. "How many of my conversations have you listened to while you were supposedly working?"

"Tobney has a great upper-body." Denisra said as she stepped closer to him. "Do you remember when he just joined the army? You weren't anything special back then but look at you now." Her hand casually ran down his muscled arm. "If Tobney can go from nothing to this, can you imagine what Gohan will look like a couple years?"

"Twice as big as me, I'd say." Tobney said cheerfully. He had been living with these women for years now. When he was younger he used to come here and spent time with them until his comrades found him again. He was used to their female conversations about men, even though he had to get used to it when he started to become the conversation topic. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get these clothes back to my room before Comora notices I'm gone."

"Awww…" Stirania complained as she leaned on the table with her hands. Her black hair fell over her shoulders in the process. "You should come over tonight. We're having a girl's night but I'm sure the others wouldn't mind if you join us."

"You'll have to pay toll though." Sannerra teased as she grinned at the young warrior. "Just wear a nice shirt and give it to us once you arrive."

Tobney returned her grin. Several years ago, that comment would have made him blush instantly, but now he was used to it. "I'll think about it." He responded before he turned to the doorway. "I'll see you later."

Tobney was already outside when he realized that Sianna followed him. She stopped in front of him, forcing him to stop walking. "If you tell Gohan about what you heard me say today you're going to be sorry." She warned. There was so much anger in her bright yellow eyes that he briefly wondered if she would explode.

The young warrior sent the young woman a grin. "What was I supposed to hear?" He asked innocently.

"Don't be so annoying." Sianna snarled back at him. "You know what I'm talking about."

"I guess you'll just have to trust me." Tobney shifted the pile of clothing in his hands. "Now, little slave, if you would move out of the way that would be great."

Sianna made an angry noise before she stepped out of the way. Tobney nodded in approval and continued on his way, leaving the seething young woman behind.

Meanwhile Gohan entered Comora's office and he knelt down. "Greetings, master Comora. You sent for me?"

Comora nodded in response. "Yes, come closer and sit down." He replied before he typed something in his computer.

Gohan followed the man's orders and he sat down on the chair opposite Comora's desk. The older warrior took a moment of silence to type something but then he shut his computer down and turned his attention to Gohan.

"Okay. I want to bring something to your attention but in order to understand fully what I want you to do you need to hear some background information." Comora started. "I can already see the question marks in your eyes so I'm going to order you to not say anything until I give you permission, got it?"

Gohan pursed his lips for a moment. It wasn't like he asked THAT many questions all the time. "Yes sir."

"Good. Now." Comora leaned on his desk and lowered his gaze for a moment. "I think it's best if I start at the beginning. Six years ago we discovered planet Domino. It was a beautiful planet. Very suitable for sale, but we weren't interest in the planet. We set our eyes on the inhabitants. The Dominon people were extraordinary. They were practically invincible. They weren't immortal or anything like that. Dominon people were gifted with many other powers. Similar to Saiyans, Dominon people healed fast after a beating and their power level grew every time. They had telepathic powers. Mind reading abilities. They could alter memories, erase memories and even retrieve memories that were previously wiped. They could move objects with their minds and even make whole buildings explode just by blinking at it."

Gohan listened obediently but he was growing more and more impatient. He wanted to ask questions…

"Despite their powers, the Dominon people were very peaceful. They did not start wars because they knew they could easily destroy their entire planet." Comora explained. "They knew about the Planet Trade Organization and the fact that there were other aliens and planets etc., but they didn't want to mingle in these businesses. They kept to themselves."

Comora leaned back on his seat. "We tried to communicate with them. The process went on for months. We wanted a couple of their soldiers for our army. We wanted to investigate their powers. Vegeta offered them a generous compensation in exchange for a handful of soldiers but they wouldn't give in. Finally, Vegeta managed to bribe some officers and he was allowed to take one soldier."

"We didn't go for a soldier. We went for a child. You see, Dominon people kept their children in the dark when it came to their powers. You don't want a seven-year-old destroying the house in a tantrum or a ten-year-old altering their parents' memories into thinking they agreed to buy that toy, you know?" Gohan nodded in understanding. "The usual age for the start of telepathic education was eighteen so we knew we had to get a younger child."

"Our company created a tournament. We set the age-limit between thirteen and seventeen and offered a generous amount for the winner and watched as the teenagers came running from every direction." Comora paused for a moment. "The tournament was fruitful. We considered taking more teens but the officers said they could only cover up one missing person, preferably one from a poor family with little influence." Gohan sat up straight and widened his eyes but he didn't say anything. "Luckily for both them and us, the fifteen-year-old who won the tournament was from a poor family. The best thing was that his parents didn't even know he entered. He was planning on surprising them with the prize money."

Gohan couldn't hold it any longer. "You're talking about Tobney, aren't you?"

Comora sent him a strict glance. "Did I allow you to speak?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I just got too excited there."

"Don't let it happen again." Comora said. Gohan nodded and Comora continued. "Yes. Tobney. He won the tournament and I'm sure you pretty much know what happened right after that."

Gohan nodded again. Tobney was shipped off to Vegeta, who offered him a position in his army. Tobney refused and demanded to be taken back to his planet. Vegeta told the young Dominon to look out the window for a moment. Would be a shame to miss this beautiful view. Tobney did so and Vegeta destroyed the planet right in front of him.

"We did some tests on him to find out whether he knew about his powers and how far they developed until then. He didn't know he had them at all. His parents were too busy working to educate Tobney and his little sister properly. The same went for the two kids actually."

"After that I went back to my own work and let Vegeta deal with Tobney. I had enough work to do with the Suta Team etc. so I simply didn't have the time to check in on Tobney and, frankly, I forgot about him. Several months later Vegeta summoned us to his office saying that he had possible assignment for us that didn't have anything to do with purging a planet."

"When we arrived there we heard the entire story. How Tobney was put in three different teams but managed to escape from each one. Vegeta had to send another squad after the boy every time to get him back. I think the fact that Tobney was a special case is what saved his life. Vegeta would have killed any other brat." Comora shook his head slowly. "Vegeta remembered how Tobney obeyed me when I put him through the tests. The boy was obedient around me but not around anyone else. Even now Tobney refuses to say why. Vegeta said that it was because I frightened Tobney but I doubt that."

Gohan studied Comora critically for a moment and he realized that for someone who had lived all his life thinking that there were no aliens at all, a large bulky man with burning red eyes, turquoise skin and yellow hair that ran down his back, would be pretty scary. Gohan had to get used to the man too at first. Aside from that Comora had a loud and thundering voice which he could use to either bark loudly or snarl dangerously.

"Vegeta challenged us to tame the kid so he could be placed in a third class team. We accepted the challenge and did so. Granted, he was a difficult one, but we could handle a little fiery teenage spirit. A year later he was still working with us and we asked Vegeta if we could keep him."

"Now about his powers." Comora leaned forwards again. "I told you that Tobney didn't know he had them, but he can do some telepathic things. You know that he can read minds, right?" Gohan nodded in response. "There are some things that come natural to him. We noticed that as time went by. It went very clumsily. He would earnestly reply or comment on things we hadn't said out loud because he thought we were talking to him. We would catch him staring at us intently. We didn't want him do develop his powers so we forbid him to use them."

"You know what it feels like to battle Tobney's powers when he is at his strongest, right?" Comora asked. Gohan nodded. "You've got to realize that you battled an untrained mind. That is his natural ability. Just think of how strong a trained Dominon warrior would be. Just think of how much he could have done if he actually knew what to do."

Gohan made a face as he thought about this. That was a scary thought. Tobney was already so strong back then that Gohan felt like he was battling hundreds of soldiers including Vegeta at the same time. He didn't even want to think about how strong Tobney would be if he was trained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Gohan asked.

"I am afraid that Tobney found some way to research his race. That he may know about his abilities and that he may even have something that explains him how to practice his powers. You have to realize that this can be very dangerous. Tobney might be tempted to fight Vegeta with his powers and you know what Vegeta will do when that happens."

That was why Comora told Gohan to leave his scouter at his office. The man needed privacy to discuss this. "So… What do you want me to do?"

"I wouldn't ask you to betray your friend. I just want to ask you if you could keep an eye on him. You're the only person he would go to if he didn't understand something. Try to discourage him. Try to tell him what can happen if he does challenge Vegeta. Make sure that he knows how hopeless this battle is. That's all I'm asking."

Gohan shrugged. "Fine. What did you think I would do?"

Comora hesitated visibly. "I didn't know. You and Tobney aren't exactly choosing to be here. I didn't know whether you would encourage it or not."

Gohan shook his head. "I made a deal with lord Vegeta. Why would I break that? I would discourage Tobney every step of the way. It doesn't seem to be a smart thing to do."

"Oh…" Comora leaned back on his seat. "Well then. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"Though…" Gohan hesitated for a moment but then decided to continue. "I'm not sure if I'm really against it. I mean, I promised to serve lord Vegeta and I won't attack him or challenge him because he is keeping his end of the bargain..." The boy fell silent for a moment and bit his lip. Was this a wise thing to say? Could he trust Comora with this? "But… if someone else was to challenge Vegeta and battle him to the death… I don't really … see the problem…"

Comora's red eyes locked onto the half-saiyan's gaze and Gohan briefly wondered if he made a mistake by saying this. "You're being very honest here." Comora stated. Gohan shrugged in response. "As you said, you promised to serve Vegeta in any way. If Tobney would decide to attack Vegeta, guess who will be at Vegeta's side when that happens."

Gohan's mouth fell open. He hadn't thought of that.

"Wherever Vegeta is, you are usually right there with him. So when Tobney decides to make an attempt on Vegeta's life what will you do? Will you do your job and protect your master or will you help out your friend." The man leaned in closer. "In other words, who is more important, your best friend or your mother?"

Gohan lowered his gaze. "I…. I don't know."

"Well you'd better figure that out soon, kiddo, because I have a feeling that you'll need to make that decision sooner or later."

Gohan was still thinking about Comora's comment several hours later. The half-saiyan looked down as he walked, deep in thought. Two slaves were following him, carrying service plates that were filled with different kinds of delicious foods.

Gohan stopped in front of a doorway and placed his hand on the keypad. The door opened and Gohan stepped aside, motioning for the two slaves to enter. "Place everything on the dining table." He ordered.

Kishi was standing at the window, looking out. She turned to him when Gohan walked closer.

"Hey." Gohan greeted.

"Hey." Kishi said slowly. "How is the process going? Did you find me a suitable planet yet?"

Gohan stopped near her and sent the young woman a half-smile. "Yes." He responded, feeling miserable as he said it. "We're already heading towards the planet. It won't be long now."

"You're lying, aren't you?" Kishi tilted her head sideways as she tried to catch Gohan's eyes. "You don't plan on releasing me."

Gohan placed his hand on the windowsill and looked down. "It's complicated. I'm not allowed to let you go. Lord Vegeta would rather sell you or put you to work in the pleasure quarters." He said truthfully. "I need some time to make sure that I can send you away without being detected. Aside from that I need to find a good place for you to stay."

The half-saiyan stopped talking. All this would have been easy several months ago, but now Vegeta was paying such close attention to him it was difficult to do pretty much anything.

"We don't need all of that. Just give me the password to the space pod room and I'll be gone." Kishi responded.

Gohan chuckled. "You're being very naïve. What will you do when you run into a soldier?" He asked. The boy nodded to Kishi's hand. "He'll look at the mark on your palm and bring you right back to the slave quarters."

"Then I'll make sure they won't see me." Kishi said, nodding.

"Kishi."

"Come on, Gohan. I can do this. I'm not afraid to get caught. I might as well…"

"Do you know what they'll do to you if you get caught?" Gohan snarled at her. The boy unclasped the front band of his armor and pulled his uniform off his shoulder, turning sideways so Kishi could see part of the flesh on his shoulder blades. The wounds that Vegeta created when he whipped Gohan several days ago were still visible. Vegeta treated them with a rejuvenation serum to such an extent that Gohan could walk around and fulfil orders but that's all he did.

Kishi's eyes were wide as she looked at the strikes on his back. "That's what they do with slaves who are disobedient." Gohan continued, pulling his uniform back up. "I don't care what you think but I'm not going to let you go through that. There are way too many slaves on this ship who I cannot help. You're not going to be one of them."

Kishi lowered her gaze for a moment. He eyes moved to the dinner table. "That looks great." She muttered. Gohan met her gaze. "Will you join me?"

Gohan smiled as he nodded. "I would love to." He responded before turning to the table. The two sat down and started on their lunch. Just like they had been every day since Gohan returned from his last mission.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan floated back and made a desperate face when Comora glared at him. "Fight me, Gohan!" He called out.

"I am!" Gohan yelled back. He flew back when Comora attacked him again.

"Why won't you show me your real power?" Comora attacked the half-saiyan furiously. Gohan almost whined. Why was everyone giving him such a hard time about this? He was trying! He couldn't reach it.

The two jumped apart. Gohan placed a hand on his forehead. He was tired of this.

"Why are you keeping your real power from me?" Comora snarled. "You are supposed to be stronger than me. Why won't you show it?"

"I can't!" Gohan yelled back. "I have no idea how to reach it."

"That's ridiculous." Comora responded, shaking his head. "You're just being stubborn."

Vegeta, who was fighting Tobney, overheard the conversation and he floated closer to the two. "I'm thinking the same thing. Gohan won't show me his true power either."

Gohan made a sad face. "Why won't you believe me?" He asked tiredly. He was telling the truth. He couldn't reach it.

"You're saying that you can't reach it now, right?" Vegeta asked, studying the half-saiyan. Gohan nodded. "You need to get angry."

"I don't know." Gohan responded.

"We all know the process." Comora said as he crossed his arms. "You need to lose control in order to reach your power, just like you did when we ambushed you."

The half-saiyan shrugged helplessly. "If you say so." He said. "Can we just get back to training?" He didn't like how they were all staring at him. During their conversation the other members of the Suta Team stopped their fights to see what was going on and they were all floating near each other now.

"Right." Vegeta said slowly. "You need a push. Something has to trigger your power. What triggered it before…? A friend got hurt…" Vegeta's gaze wandered off to Tobney momentarily. "Or you got in a situation beyond your control… A situation where you're backed into a corner." The man's expression changed and a smirk appeared on his face. "For example, when six of the strongest elite warriors are beating you nearly to death."

Gohan widened his eyes. He slowly shook his head. "Vegeta… No…"

"It is lord Vegeta for you, runt." Vegeta snarled back at him. The man glanced at Comora. "What do you say?"

Comora kept his gaze on Gohan as he shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"Please." Gohan tried. "Don't do this. I'll try harder. I'll do better."

"And if it doesn't work he'll get a nice power boost out of it." Comora added, a smirk covering his face.

Gohan glanced to the door that would lead him out of this room.

"Oh no no no." Vegeta shook his head. "You're not allowed to leave this room. I specifically order you to stay in here until I give you permission to leave." He stated.

The half-saiyan sank into a fighting stance. He wasn't going to go down without a fight. Comora cracked his knuckles. "What do you say, guys?"

Suno shrugged. "I'm always in for a beating."

"I've been dying to teach rookie his place for a while now." Itoro added, grinning. "With Lord Vegeta on our side it's going to be a lot easier."

Tobney made a face. "I guess." He responded. "You might be able to reach your power easier once you're used to it. Like with the super saiyan transformation." He suggested when Gohan sent him a glare. "Besides, it's not like we're going to kill you. It's for your own good."

"Beating me up is for my own good?" Gohan snarled at him.

"You might not see it like that now but you will someday." Tobney responded.

"So we've reached a consensus." Vegeta announced. "Everyone agrees."

"No!" Gohan snarled back at him. "I don't agree."

"You will fight us to the best of your abilities, got it?" Vegeta said as he looked at Gohan.

"This isn't fair."

"You're a slave. Get into the character." Vegeta studied the half-saiyan. "There's only one answer you are allowed to give. Let me give you a hint; it consists of two words."

Gohan sighed as his arms fell to his side. His tail slumped behind him. "Yes master." He almost whimpered.

"Good boy. Now." Vegeta powered up to his max and a smirk appeared on his face. "We have work to do."

The half-saiyan watched as the others powered up as well. Gohan swallowed but his throat was too dry for it to do any good. His teal eyes studied his enemies. He powered up all the way to his max, somewhat relieved when he realized how much weaker the others now seemed, except for Comora and Vegeta.

Comora was the first to attack. He appeared behind Gohan and kicked the boy down. The half-saiyan was launched forwards. Tobney was waiting right there. He pulled back his fist and punched the half-saiyan back. Gohan skidded across the white floor. He realized that Suno was floating near him but before he could do anything the man grabbed the back of his head and threw the half-saiyan up in the air.

Vegeta was the one who caught the half-saiyan. He used his fist to punch right into Gohan's stomach. The half-saiyan let out a raspy gasp. Vegeta didn't give Gohan any time to recover as he grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him up.

"You're going to have to do better than this, boy." Vegeta mocked as he studied Gohan's pained expression.

The half-saiyan put his hands together and blasted Vegeta. The man had to release Gohan and tried to get away but Gohan's blast hit his arm. The man growled and placed a hand on his arm, muttering curses to Gohan's address.

Tobney had gotten Gohan's attention and the two were exchanging punches. The half-saiyan glanced back when he realized that Suno joined in, attacking Gohan from behind. The young saiyan could manage this. It became a real challenge when Comora joined in, and Gohan found himself getting hurt. After one particular punch, Gohan flew up to get out of the tight spot.

Vegeta destroyed his chance at rest by attacking him once Gohan was flying above the other three. Gohan moved back to dodge the man's first punch but Vegeta casually followed him, continuing his relentless attacks. Gohan's senses picked up Itoro's powerlevel right behind him. The man sent a blue blast in Gohan's direction, and Gohan dove down to avoid getting hit.

Gohan hoped Vegeta would get hit but the saiyan prince deflected the blast. A second too late, Gohan realized that Vegeta deflected the blast straight to him. The half-saiyan could only cross his arms in front of each other to protect his body. He could feel the heat of the blast as he was forced back. He groaned when his back hit the wall and the blast exploded around him.

For a moment, his energy gave out on him and he fell down to the floor. Sitting up against the wall, he sank through his knees until he was sitting on the ground. The boy opened his eyes and looked up at the warriors, who were waiting for him to return to the battlefield.

Vegeta beckoned for Gohan to come back. The half-saiyan forced his body to stand up. He powered up and jumped in the air. Racing forward, he pulled back a fist….

The fight went on for hours and the others were surprised at Gohan's endurance. Even though he got hurt often, the young warrior managed to do a lot of damage to the others as well. Gohan kept getting up, kept coming back, and they were often surprised by his sudden attacks, and once they were surprised, they were sorry because that was the moment Gohan managed to push an attack through their defense.

Several hours later, Gohan fell down on his hand and knees. Sweat was dripping down his face and landed on the ground. The room felt heavy and warm around him. His vision blurred.

A boot pushed the boy over, making the half-saiyan roll over onto his back. Tobney tried to land on top of Gohan with his boots but the half-saiyan sent a blast in his direction. Gohan let his hands fall back on the ground. He was exhausted. A boot landed on his hand and Gohan screamed out when he felt the bones crack. Comora casually pressed down and rubbed his boot against Gohan's hand as if he was trying to wipe something out.

Gohan sent a blast in his direction but Comora deflected it with a snarl. "Too easy, boy." He mocked.

The half-saiyan noticed that Vegeta appeared on the other side. The man pulled back a leg in order to kick the half-saiyan, but Gohan used his body to roll up until he was standing on his hands. He ignored the strain on his wrist due to the fact that Comora was still standing on his hand, and he used his legs to kick both Vegeta and Comora.

The two warriors did not expect Gohan to make this move and they were forced to stumble back. This gave Gohan enough time to get back on his feet. The boy caught a punch from Itoro, moved his head down to avoid a kick from Suno, tightened his grip on Itoro's fist and threw the man into Suno.

Gohan placed his hands on his knees and panted heavily. He was barely holding onto his transformation.

Vegeta launched at him and Gohan backed off, right into Comora. The man hooked his arms under Gohan's armpits and held him there. Gohan looked back in shock and he only received a smirk from his comrade.

Vegeta powered up as his teal eyes studied the half-saiyan. Now was the time. The boy had nowhere to go. Suno, Tobney, Itoro and Kaon appeared next to Vegeta.

Gohan attempted to get away. He struggled heavily and tried to kick Comora but the man ignored his attempts and held him tight.

The half-saiyan looked ahead when he realized the changes in energy in front of him. The warriors were all creating energy blasts, except for Tobney, who decided to sit this one out.

Comora tightened his grip on Gohan when the first ki-orbs hit. The boy's body shook heavily with every single blast, and he half expected them to stop it after the first few but the blasts kept coming. Gohan felt his skin burning, his flesh resisting against the heat. His hands curled inwards in a pathetic attempt to protect his body.

This couldn't go on any longer. They were going to kill him. Did they even know how much he could take? What if they thought he could endure more than he could really endure? Did they even care?

Gohan could feel his power slip away from him. He fell out of his saiyan transformation, locks of his dark-brown hair falling alongside his face, but still they didn't stop. Strange. It didn't even hurt anymore. He actually felt quite warm now.

What was going to happen to planet earth? Would Vegeta continue to protect the planet even though Gohan wasn't working for him anymore? Of course not, if Gohan died now Vegeta would just get rid of the planet. He would purge it. His planet. The beautiful planet. His mother was still there and Bulma too. What were they supposed to do against a group of soldiers?

It wasn't going to end here, right?

Was this all Gohan was destined to reach? Was his fate to be killed by his own comrades? His supposed family? They were all he had right now and they killed him.

What was Tobney going to do without him? And Kishi? What would become of her?

What about Sianna? Her stern face appeared in front of him. She wagged her finger and made a disapproving expression. Are you just going to shrivel up and die like that? She seemed to ask. I thought you were a warrior. Clearly not.

Tobney watched as Gohan fell out of his transformation. "Guys. Guys. You're going too far. His power level is dropping. Stop!"

But Tobney was not the one who stopped them. Gohan was responsible for that. The half-saiyan powered up so high that Comora was pushed back. The man widened his eyes and stared as Gohan powered up and up. He realized that the boy was screaming so loud that his voice cracked under the pressure.

The other warriors froze and they watched in awe as Gohan transformed back to the super saiyan level, but he did not stop there. The half-saiyan clenched his fists tightly and he pushed through that invisible barrier.

Tobney looked down when he realized that the room was shaking. The ship was shaking. This room was supposed to be able to withstand anything. Comora moved his arms up to shield his eyes from the light Gohan was emitting.

Vegeta's mouth was open slightly as he watched something change in Gohan. For just a moment, his hair stood up even more straight. For just a moment, the half-saiyan opened his eyes and the two warriors stood face to face. Their gazes crossed paths and Vegeta realized that his hands were shaking.

Gohan closed his eyes and fell out of the air. Tobney was the one to race forward and catch him. The young warrior studied the half-saiyan in his arms. "He's out." Tobney called out to the others.

"He lost consciousness?" Comora questioned. "Maybe we were too hard on him."

Vegeta shook his head as a smirk appeared on his face. "No. We did just enough."

"He is in bad shape, guys." Tobney sounded and looked worried as he looked up at them.

"Put him in the rejuvenation tank." Comora ordered, and Tobney nodded. The warrior quickly turned around and left the room in a hurry.

"He made the ship shake." Vegeta stated. "I've never even made the ship shake."

Comora floated closer to the man. "You know what that means, right?" He asked. The man hesitated for a moment. "I felt his power too, Vegeta. For a second there, he was stronger than you."

Vegeta did not reply but only powered down to his basic form.

"What are you going to do now?" Comora asked. When Vegeta did not reply Comora decided to continue. "Are you going to kill him?"

Vegeta did glance at Comora now. "Are you worried I might do that?"

"Gohan is."

Vegeta slowly shook his head. "I'm not going to kill him. He can bring the fight to me someday." He responded. "Besides, we made a deal. Last I checked Gohan is a man of his word." The man started to float down and landed on the ground.

Three hours later, Gohan opened his eyes when the tank opened. He crawled out of the tank and looked at his hands. He could feel the new amount of power in his body. Man, this felt good.

"Gohan." Gohan looked up only to be enveloped in a hug. The half-saiyan let Tobney hug him for a moment. "I'm sorry. I should have stopped them earlier. We went way too far. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Gohan replied. The half-saiyan smiled when Tobney released him. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Tobney circled the half-saiyan and looked him up and down. The half-saiyan rolled his eyes but he let Tobney do it. "You look okay."

"I am. Trust me." Gohan shivered. "I just want to get some clothing on." He added.

"Right. Of course." Tobney turned away from Gohan and grabbed a bundle of clothes. Gohan happily accepted it and walked to one of the dressing cabinets.

Once he was dressed in a blue uniform and a basic armor, Gohan emerged from the changing room. He was just pulling on a black boot when Sianna walked in the room.

"Gohan." She said as she stepped closer to him. She hugged him tightly and Gohan widened his eyes for a moment. Frozen. "You're okay." Her voice sounded soft.

"Of course I'm okay." Gohan made a confused face. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw Tobney bringing you in. Gohan you were in such bad shape. I was afraid you weren't going to make it." She looked so upset that Gohan wanted to take her in his arms again, just to get back her smile, or even her frown. Anything would be better than this. "All I could think about was the bad things I've said to you lately. How much we fought."

Tobney smiled as he watched Sianna hug Gohan again. The half-saiyan wiped one of Sianna's tears away. "Calm down. Why are you even so upset? You hate me, remember?"

Sianna frowned and clenched her fists. She pulled up her fists and hit his chest. "Oh Gohan! You can be so stupid sometimes!"

The half-saiyan placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her and sent Tobney a confused glance. Tobney grinned and shrugged. "I agree with her on this one."

Meanwhile, Comora and Vegeta were standing in Vegeta's office.

Comora studied Gohan's most recent power-level test. "The machine was wrong." He said. "That's the only explanation I have."

"The machine is never wrong."

"It is this time." Comora responded, shaking his head. "Gohan is stronger than the machine showed. Especially now. He nearly died. He is going to be twice as strong now."

"Maybe the boy gets his power from some other place when he gets angry. Some place the machine cannot reach. Maybe it's nestled too deep in his being." Vegeta suggested.

The two warriors glanced sideways when their senses warned them about a high power level and a moment later Gohan appeared in the doorway. The half-saiyan held their gazes for a moment. Comora put down the paper he was holding.

Gohan lowered his gaze and he knelt down.

This seemed to break the other two out the trance. Comora nodded and he looked over at Vegeta. "We'll continue this discussion later." He stated. Vegeta nodded in response and Comora headed for the doorway.

The man motioned for Gohan to get up when the half-saiyan looked at him. The man studied Gohan for a moment and then tousled his hair. "You fought well today, Gohan. I'm proud of you." He stated before he turned to leave the room.

Gohan let a smile appear on his face as he watched Comora walk away. He realized that Vegeta was still in the room and he was about to kneel down again but Vegeta called out to him. "It's okay."

The man approached Gohan. "I think I can officially state a new level at your name." Vegeta continued as he neared the half-saiyan. Gohan was almost as tall as Vegeta so the man didn't have to kneel down to look him in the eye. "Welcome to level 11, boy."

Higher than level 10, shot through Gohan's mind. Stronger than Vegeta, and the man was aware of that. "You came to me several years ago and you proposed a deal." Vegeta started as he stopped in front of Gohan. The half-saiyan nodded to show that he was listening. "I come here to do the same thing. Together, we can be the strongest warriors alive. You and me, we can defeat anyone if we stick together."

"What are you saying?" Gohan asked.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Vegeta asked. "There is a level beyond the super saiyan level and today you reached it, didn't you?"

Gohan's gaze lowered but Vegeta used his hand to push Gohan's face back up to his level. "Didn't you?"

"It's a bit blurry." Gohan closed his eyes for a moment. "But I think I did."

"Oh you did it, alright." Vegeta responded as a smirk appeared on his face. "But you couldn't handle it. The strain was too much for your body. I can help you control it. I can help you train."

"You would do that?" Gohan asked, frowning a little.

"I would." Vegeta said, nodding. "But I want something in return."

"Surprise Surprise." Gohan muttered drily.

"Once you've reached the second level, I want you to help me reach it. And you're not allowed to challenge me to a fight to the death until I've reached the second level too." Vegeta said.

Gohan nodded. "Okay. That sounds fair." He said.

Vegeta reached out to shake Gohan's hand and the half-saiyan accepted the man's hand. "It's a deal." Gohan said as he looked up at his boss.

The two released each other and Vegeta turned away from the half-saiyan. "Oh and… Comora isn't the only one who was proud of you today." The man added hesitantly before he walked to his desk.

Gohan grinned. "Is it really _that _hard for you to actually give me a compliment?"

"Don't test your luck, boy."

Gohan snickered but he stopped when Vegeta sent him a glare. His smirk returned when Vegeta looked away and he walked to his own desk.

That evening the members of the Suta Team had another supper with lord Vegeta and this time Gohan was not the one who had to serve the drinks. No, he was sitting right there with them at the table. From now on he was their equal.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked it. Please review & let me know what you think!**

**Sayonara!**


	23. Chapter 23: Life Goes On

**Hey guys! **

**Is everyone excited for Christmas? I certainly am. ^^**

**Thanks to DBZfanLou for sending in an idea for a scene in this chapter!**

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

_Gohan's eyes were glued to her bright yellow eyes. They made him think of the cats on planet Earth… but then in a very nice way. Vegeta looked at the information on the computer screen. "She's the youngest of the bunch. Only sixteen years old." He said thoughtfully. "What do you think?" He asked curiously. "No comments?" The man glanced sideways, shifting slightly when he noticed Gohan's expression. _

_Vegeta was smart enough to recognize an expression like this one, especially on a young boy's face. "Boy?" Vegeta asked. Gohan did not respond so Vegeta tapped against his shoulder. Gohan flinched and looked at his master. "You're interested in her, aren't you?"_

"_No." Gohan answered immediately. _

"_I'm buying her. You're a soldier too, of course." Vegeta answered as he tapped on the bidding button. "She'll be your personal concubine." _

_(….) _

_The girl frowned at him. "My name is Gohan. What is yours?"_

"_I don't know my real name." She answered. "I was drugged a long time after I was kidnapped. I forgot. They called me Kishi."_

"_Kishi." Gohan repeated. "Do you want to keep that name or do you want to have a different one? You can start over here."_

"_Why can't I leave the room?" Kishi asked. _

"_You are currently living the private ship of lord Vegeta." Gohan answered. "There are many soldiers here every day. You might not be safe on your own."_

"_Then let me go." Kishi answered. _

"_That's not my decision to make." Gohan got up, noticed she tensed, and smiled once more. "Don't worry. I'll stay here. I don't want to hurt you."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Gohan frowned as powered up. He clenched his fists and concentrated on the power in his body. He could feel it fill him up and he noticed he started to transform to the Super Saiyan level. _

_Vegeta watched as Gohan transformed, keeping tabs on his power level, but he frowned when Gohan's power settled far below him. The man shook his head. "That's not good enough!" _

"_This is all I can do." _

"_Liar!"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Close your eyes." Sianna ordered, and Gohan obeyed. The young woman placed her hand over Gohan's eyes to protect them before spraying some serum on his cheek and forehead. "It might not be saiyan like but watching you get beaten up every day isn't all that fun either."_

_Her hand was removed from his eyes and he opened them, staring straight into her yellow orbs. "You sound worried." _

_She sent him a glare. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't care if you two kill each other." She responded as she tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear._

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Comora studied the half-saiyan. "You shouldn't make decisions based on a couple of rough days. You're not in the right mindset to say things like that right now. Just because you're angry now that doesn't mean you'll still feel like that in a couple of weeks."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"I'm talking about the fact that even though saiyans have a quick healing ability there seems to be a constant bruise on your face." Comora replied. Gohan's hand automatically moved to the bruise on his cheek. The place where Vegeta punched him only ten minutes ago. "So Vegeta is giving you a hard time. He's angry. He should be. You behaved badly. Give him a few weeks and it will be over. He'll be treating you like he normally does."_

_"This is how he normally treats me!" Gohan snarled back. "There's nothing new here. He's always been treating me like this."_

_"You know that's not true." Comora replied, shaking his head. _

_****** DBZ **** DBZ ******_

_Tobney was already outside when he realized that Sianna followed him. She stopped in front of him, forcing him to stop walking. "If you tell Gohan about what you heard me say today you're going to be sorry." She warned. There was so much anger in her bright yellow eyes that he briefly wondered if she would explode._

_The young warrior sent the young woman a grin.__"What was I supposed to hear?" He asked innocently. _

"_Don't be so annoying." Sianna snarled back at him. "You know what I'm talking about." _

"_I guess you'll just have to trust me." Tobney shifted the pile of clothing in his hands. "Now, little slave, if you would move out of the way that would be great."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Wherever Vegeta is, you are usually right there with him." Comora stated. "So when Tobney decides to make an attempt on Vegeta's life what will you do? Will you do your job and protect your master or will you help out your friend." The man leaned in closer. "In other words, who is more important, your best friend or your mother?"_

_Gohan lowered his gaze. "I…. I don't know."_

"_Well you'd better figure that out soon, kiddo, because I have a feeling that you'll need to make that decision sooner or later."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Right." Vegeta said slowly. "You need a push. Something has to trigger your power. What triggered it before…? A friend got hurt…" Vegeta's gaze wandered off to Tobney momentarily. "Or you got in a situation beyond your control… A situation where you're backed into a corner." The man's expression changed and a smirk appeared on his face. "For example, when six of the strongest elite warriors are beating you nearly_ to death."

_Gohan widened his eyes. He slowly shook his head. "Vegeta… No…"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The other warriors froze and they watched in awe as Gohan transformed back to the super saiyan level, but he did not stop there. The half-saiyan clenched his fists tightly and he pushed through that invisible barrier._

_Tobney looked down when he realized that the room was shaking. The ship was shaking. This room was supposed to be able to withstand anything. Comora moved his arms up to shield his eyes from the light Gohan was emitting._

_Vegeta's mouth was open slightly as he watched something change in Gohan. For just a moment, his hair stood up even more straight. For just a moment, the half-saiyan opened his eyes and the two warriors stood face to face. Their gazes crossed paths and Vegeta realized that his hands were shaking. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_You felt it, didn't you?" Vegeta asked. "There is a level beyond the super saiyan level and today you reached it, didn't you? But you couldn't handle it. The strain was too much for your body. I can help you control it. I can help you train." _

"_You would do that?" Gohan asked, frowning a little._

"_I would." Vegeta said, nodding. "But I want something in return." _

"_Surprise Surprise." Gohan muttered drily. _

"_Once you've reached the second level, I want you to help me reach it. And you're not allowed to challenge me to a fight to the death until I've reached the second level too." Vegeta said. _

_Gohan nodded. "Okay. That sounds fair." He said. _

**Moving on~**

**Chapter 23. Life Goes On…**

Gohan was filling up two cups with coffee. Every time he did that lately, he could hear Tobney's voice in his head saying "You're nothing more than a walking and talking coffee machine". The half-saiyan let out a sigh. Maybe he was coffee machine right now but he definitely wasn't back when Vegeta still thought he was weaker.

It had only been two days since the group of elite warriors had the all-out fight in which Gohan nearly transformed to the second level. Recently, Gohan worried that Vegeta would kill him if he got too strong. After Gohan's breakthrough, Vegeta did not attempt to kill Gohan but he offered the younger warrior a deal. Vegeta would help Gohan ascend to the second super saiyan level. In exchange for this, Gohan was not allowed to officially challenge Vegeta until Vegeta reached the second level too. Did this mean that their first deal in which Gohan traded his loyalty for planet earth's safety was over? Nope. Vegeta was still holding onto that one as well.

The half-saiyan looked up when Comora appeared in the coffee corner. "Good morning, rookie." The man greeted cheerfully.

"Morning." Gohan greeted in return. He'd given up on pointing out that he has been working for the army for years now and that he definitely wasn't a rookie. They didn't care. "Are you working on lord Vegeta's ship today?"

"Yup. I have a meeting with him later today so I figured I might as well spend a day in my office here." Comora responded as he approached the half-saiyan. The man was planning on brushing Gohan aside to get his own cup of coffee. Comora was of higher rank so he could go first. However, Gohan tensed and moved out of the way before Comora could even get close to him.

Comora's gaze moved to Gohan's tail. The furry limb was tensing and the tip was making small and brief movements that indicated danger. Danger? Comora turned to make his cup of coffee while Gohan moved to the other side of the coffee corner and filled a glass with water. He sipped from it while he waited for his squad leader to leave.

"So…" Comora stated while he waited for the coffee machine to finish. "We haven't seen each other since our last dinner." At the time, Comora realized that Gohan was tensed. The half-saiyan smiled and acted cheerful but there were these moments... Strange moments. He remembered seeing how Gohan reached out for something at the same time as one of the others and the half-saiyan flinched, pulling his hand back, almost as if he expected that person to attack him. There were more moments like that. Tobney tapped on Gohan's shoulder and the half-saiyan hit his hand away. The boy apologized afterwards; saying that he wasn't paying attention and that he was caught off guard, but Comora watched how Gohan took a deep breath after that, almost as if he wanted to calm his own breathing down.

"I know." Gohan said before he took another sip from his drink.

There was a tensed silence. Gohan looked down at his water as if it was the most interesting liquid in the universe. Comora grabbed his hot coffee and turned to the half-saiyan. "Tobney is spending the day in my office. He'll be arriving soon. You should come by and say hi."

Gohan showed a weak smile. "I will." He placed his glass on the counter. The boy waited while Comora studied him, looking down and staying far away from the man. Comora was testing him. Normally, Gohan would have told Comora to hurry it up or at least asked how long he would be standing there doing nothing, but Gohan didn't say a word.

The boy's gaze wandered off to his own tail and he noticed the behavior of the tail and the silent message that went with it. He brushed over his tail once and the limb relaxed. Gohan was learning how to control his own body.

Comora finally stepped aside and headed to the doorway. Gohan approached the coffee machine and continued making the two cups he was working on before Comora interrupted him. The man frowned when he noticed that Gohan was sending quick looks over his shoulder.

"Okay. What is going on with you?" Comora asked as he placed his cup on a table.

Gohan didn't look at him. "I don't know what you're talking about." He placed the first full cup on the counter and turned around. Comora was standing right in front of him and Gohan nearly jumped out of his skin, placing his hands on the counter behind him.

"That's what I'm talking about."

"You sneaked up on me."

"Why are you so tensed when you're around us lately?" Comora asked, frowning. "What did we do?"

"Nothing." Gohan snarled. "I'm not tensed. Nothing's wrong."

"Don't lie to me, Gohan." Comora responded as he leaned in closer. Another test. Where Gohan would usually keep standing and stare right back at the man, the boy now shrunk back against the counter and looked away.

The boy stepped aside. "I'll come back for my coffee later." He said as he turned to the doorway and started walking.

Comora grabbed Gohan's upper arm to stop the half-saiyan. The man widened his eyes when Gohan turned to him and pulled back a fist. Comora was so surprised that he forgot to protect his head and Gohan's punch landed against his face. His head snapped sideways but he only tightened his grip on Gohan's arm.

The man placed his free hand on his cheek and scoffed. He looked back at Gohan, realizing that Gohan looked shocked at his own behavior. "What made you think that punching your squad leader is a good idea?" He growled.

"I'm sorry." Gohan said, looking down. "Can you let me go now, sir?"

"No." Comora pulled Gohan closer, forcing the half-saiyan to take a step forward. "Look at me." He ordered when Gohan was still looking away.

The half-saiyan slowly lifted his gaze to meet the man's eyes. "What is going on with you?" Comora asked. "You have no reason to behave this way." The boy stayed silent but continued to look at the man. "Come on, Gohan. Tell me. You can trust me."

This triggered a reaction. "Trust you?" Gohan snarled back. "You nearly killed me and I'm supposed to trust you?" He ripped his arm free from Comora's grip. "Go to hell!"

The boy turned back to the doorway and left the room. Comora's mouth was wide open. The man looked at the two cups of coffee. One of them was filled and the other was still empty and they were both forgotten by their owner. The man grabbed his own cup and walked out the room.

He figured he was to blame for how Gohan was behaving right now. They should have expected this. It was their fault and they would have to do something about it. They would have to fix it.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan sent a hesitant glance in Vegeta's direction. The young warrior was sitting at his own desk, typing away on his computer. The half-saiyan looked back at his screen. He glanced at his portable computer. Making a decision, Gohan got up and approached his boss.

"Lord Vegeta?" Gohan asked.

"Approach." Vegeta responded without looking at him.

Gohan stepped closer, hugging the portable computer to his chest. "Sir… I've been thinking."

"Dangerous habit for a slave."

"Do you want to hear what I've got to say or not?"

Vegeta glanced at Gohan from the corner of his eyes. "Proceed." The man looked back at his computer screen. Gohan ignored this. He was used to it. Vegeta only looked at things that earned his attention and that had to be good.

"I was editing the auction report for planet Karo." Gohan started as he placed his laptop on the desk and opened it. "And I noticed that we are going to sell it for a rather low price because it has no oxygen and no version of an ozone layer. It is seen as a lost cause." Gohan tapped on the pages he wanted to show on his portable computer. "So I was curious and I searched for the real initial report written by the soldiers who visited and observed the planet. They mentioned that the ground there could be good for agriculture. Aside from that there are some natural fluids that resemble water and we could use that to water the land."

Gohan pointed at the computer screen that showed the information he was addressing. "We could place a building there and use oxygen masks and special suits so people can go out and work on the land. We could use some of those magnetic ships that are drawn to the heat center of the planet. Workers could live in those ships and work on the planet. We were planning on throwing those ships away anyway. Might as well offer them in this deal for a lower price. I think we can still sell this planet."

Vegeta was looking at the screen of Gohan's computer by now. Attention earned. The man looked through the information on the screen before he closed the laptop. "Very well." He said as he grabbed the laptop and turned to Gohan. "Rewrite the auction report." The man extended the laptop to Gohan.

"What?" Gohan asked as he accepted the machine.

"Use the information you just showed me and write a new auction report. I expect it on my desk in seven days." Vegeta said before turning back to his own computer.

"Me? I can … write a report?"

The older saiyan looked over at him again, a hint of a smirk on his face. "Would you rather go back to processing paychecks and editing auction reports?" He asked.

Gohan shook his head. "No, sir. Thank you, sir. I'll get right to it, sir." He said quickly. The half-saiyan bowed and walked back to his desk. Gohan grinned as he placed the portable computer back on the corner of his desk and turned to his larger computer.

Real work. A real assignment that required thinking and real writing, not just editing. Gohan was excited for the prospect. The boy started working on it immediately.

***** DBZ *** DBZ *****

"Gohan got a promotion." Tobney said cheerfully as he placed his small projector on the table in front of Comora and turned it on. The small black machine lit up and a blue projection appeared above it.

Earlier that day Vegeta threw Gohan out his office so the young warrior decided to go to the Suta Team wing and work there.

"It's not really a promotion." Gohan responded quickly. He sat down at the table, watching as Tobney's machine projected a screen and keyboard. The older warrior typed in something and went to the auction database.

"What happened?" Comora asked curiously. Tobney stopped and pointed to a certain auction leave. "Oh right." Comora looked at the page. "Planet Karo. We thought it was a lost cause but it turned out to be more profitable than we thought. What about it?"

"Guess who wrote the renewed report." Tobney stated.

Comora looked over at Gohan. "Really?" Gohan nodded in response, smiling hesitantly. "Good job. You turned a zero into a six."

"Thank you, sir."

"Guess who gets to write a new auction report." Tobney stated, sending his good friend a bright smile.

Comora shut down the simulator and shrugged. "It was only a matter of time until Vegeta would restore you to your old position." He responded. "Especially after your breakthrough."

Gohan's smile faltered a little and he tensed when Comora reached out to him. The man gently pushed his hand under Gohan's chin and tilted the half-saiyan's face upwards towards the light. "And look, not a single bruise or wound in sight. Looks like Vegeta is going easy on you, huh?"

Gohan realized that Comora was referring to a conversation they had a couple weeks ago. The half-saiyan shrugged. "Okay. Maybe you were right about that… A little."

Tobney grinned. "One day you will be wrong about something." He directed to Comora. "We'll just have to wait for it."

Gohan smiled in response when Comora turned to Tobney and stated that he had a feeling someone would throw Comora's ice cold glass of water on the twenty-year-old if the young warrior didn't clean his room soon. Tobney responded in outrage, saying that his room was always clean, but he relented when Comora got up and offered to show Gohan how 'clean' Tobney's room was.

"All right. All right. I'll do it." Tobney turned and headed out to Comora's wing. Tobney had five different personal bedrooms. One in the personal wing of every member of the Suta Team and one in Vegeta's main ship. Tobney spent most nights in his bedroom in Sun's wing.

Comora huffed before sitting down. "Sloth…" He muttered before turning back to his newspaper simulator. Gohan smiled as he looked back to his small laptop and continued his work.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Several days later Gohan was sitting in Vegeta's office. The two saiyans were working in silence, as they always do. Gohan didn't really mind being back in Vegeta's office. The two worked together closely so it was easier for them to communicate when they were in the same room. It didn't really matter how good the technology was, face-to-face conversations were way more valuable.

"Boy…" Vegeta motioned for Gohan to approach him. The half-saiyan got up and walked closer. "I need you to go over these reports. Make sure that there are no mistakes."

"Editing." Gohan stated, feeling miserable. He thought he grew passed that job.

Vegeta glanced over at him. "No fact checking." He corrected before he sent the reports over to Gohan's computer. "Sadly, not everyone in this army is as perceptive as you are. You will catch the mistakes others didn't. Now get to it."

"Yes sir." Gohan turned his back on the man before moving to his own desk, which was standing near the door. Gohan sat down and glanced sideways at the doors on his right. Nobody had come in all day. It was a rather boring day for them.

"Hiya Vegeta!"

A voice made the two saiyans look up. Gohan blinked. "Dad?" He asked out loud.

"Gohan? You can hear me too?" Goku's voice lowered to a whisper but the two could still hear him. "King Kai, I only wanted to speak to Vegeta."

"Oh?" King Kai's response sounded confused. "Sorry. I thought you wanted to speak to both. I'll change it."

"No, it's okay." Goku said quickly. "It doesn't matter too much."

Gohan and Vegeta exchanged glances and Gohan stood up. "Dad? What's going on?"

"I wanted to talk to Vegeta." Goku explained. "Well... I more or less wanted to have a stern word with him. You see, Vegeta, we noticed what happened a couple of days ago, and I'm not too happy about it."

Vegeta leaned back on his seat. "Whatever are you talking about, Kakarot?"

"I'm talking about the match you had with Gohan. The entire group against my kid. I allowed Gohan to stay in your custody because I thought you would handle him with proper care but then you nearly killed him. That's unacceptable."

"Dad…" Gohan tried, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "You don't need to… This is not necessary."

"Shush, boy." Vegeta was carrying a smirk as he looked over at Gohan. "I want to hear what your father has to say about this." Gohan sent the amused man a glare. "Go ahead, Kakarot. I'm _all_ ears."

Goku either didn't notice the sarcasm or he ignored it. "I didn't expect you to do something like that." Goku said, sounding rather angry.

Piccolo cut in there. "You should have expected it though."

"Goku is just a little naïve when it comes to things like that." Krillin added in Goku's defense. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Vegeta looked up. "How many people are up there?"

"Four, including King Kai." Goku responded.

"Quite a group of loyal friends." Vegeta caught Gohan's gaze. The half-saiyan shrugged helplessly. "Let me tell you, Kakarot. I didn't mean for that situation to happen. We got carried away."

"That's not an excuse." Krillin responded.

"Trust me. I don't want to see one of my most fruitful soldiers go." Vegeta responded as his gaze moved up to the ceiling.

"Let's not let this happen again, then?" Goku said.

Vegeta nodded in response. "I'll make sure of that."

Gohan stepped away from his desk. "Okay. That's settled. Bye dad!" He said quickly. He needed to get out of this conversation. This was making him feel very uncomfortable.

Vegeta's gaze lowered to his assistant. The man leaned on the desk with his arms. "Boy, I want you to do five simulation missions in three hours."

"Three hours?" Gohan widened his eyes. "That's impossible."

"Then you'd better hurry up." Vegeta ushered.

"But I want to stay here." Gohan tried.

"This is none of your concern."

"You're talking about me!"

"Go." Vegeta ordered. Gohan stepped closer and opened his mouth to complain, but Vegeta jumped up. "NOW!"

The half-saiyan started and nodded. He made a stiff bow before turning and leaving the room. Vegeta leaned back on his seat and looked up at the ceiling. "Cut the boy out of the conversation, will you?" He asked.

"Will do." King Kai seemed to realize that Vegeta wanted to talk in private.

"Kakarot." Vegeta started. "I want to talk to you about your son. Do you know about our arrangement?" he asked.

"Yes, I do." Goku responded. "Gohan told me."

"Did he now?" Vegeta lowered his gaze for a moment. "Your son is easily one of the strongest fighters in my army. I remember him telling me that the Namek is mainly responsible for his training before he joined the army."

"You mean when he was training to kill you?" Piccolo cut in, sounding hostile.

"And failed." Vegeta countered easily. He expected Piccolo to respond in such a way. "All those years of training with you and he failed to fulfil his goal. Then I took him under my wing and now he's a super saiyan and more…" Vegeta smirked up at the ceiling. "I'd say he is doing much better now that I'm controlling him."

"You were not the only one who trained him." Krillin said, taking Piccolo's side. "You cannot take all the credit."

"Besides," Piccolo added, "He kept his power a secret from you because he didn't trust you. That sounds like the perfect student-mentor relationship." He taunted.

Vegeta's mouth tightened for a moment as his gaze lowered to his desk. "That's a different matter altogether." He stated. The man took a deep breath. "I am asking you for advice on how to train your bratty son."

After a brief silence, Goku was the first one to respond. "Thank you for asking, Vegeta." He said, sounding cheerful. "As you said, I'm not really an expert on my own son anymore, but I do know some things about him. Ask away."

"What kind of exercises do you think suit him best?" Vegeta asked as he looked up at the ceiling. "Up until now I've always let him do his own exercises and warmups. Now that I promised to train him I want to pay more attention to his routines. I've been studying him lately and I noticed he has a pretty set routine. I expect the Namek taught him most of it."

"Possibly." Piccolo responded. "That depends on how much he's changed his routine since he left planet Earth. I'd say you could leave his warmup alone. Gohan can decide what he considers the best warmup for himself. When it comes to his exercises, you could give him some advice and let him choose whether or not he uses it."

"When it comes to training in general." Goku continued. "You do know that Gohan doesn't like fighting the way we full-blooded saiyans do. He fights to survive and to protect his planet, but that's all there is to it." Goku hesitated. "Although he seems to be very motivated to defeat you."

"Does he now…" Vegeta opened a document on his computer and typed this information in. "So… All I have to do is put more pressure on him. The stronger I get the more motivated he will be to stay above my level."

"Exactly." Goku said, sounding cheerful.

"Just don't take that too far." Piccolo responded. "I heard you are planning on taking a trip to planet Yuna?"

"Yes, we are." Vegeta nodded once. "Planet Yuna is an excellent trial for both of us."

"I agree." Piccolo said. "Gohan responds well to that kind of training. I did something similar when I first started training him."

"Really?" Vegeta typed this in as well. "He didn't tell me."

"There are more things he doesn't tell you."

Vegeta ignored this comment and moved on to the next topic by asking what would be the most profitable diet for humans. He figured he could put Gohan on a diet that would suit both his saiyan and his human side. They spoke for about an hour, covering training, exercises, diet and sleeping patterns.

Apparently, children responded well to treats. Gohan wasn't exactly a child anymore but Goku persisted that Gohan would appreciate an occasional sweet accompanied by a "good work".

"Good. I can take it from there." Vegeta stated, nodding. He was done talking to these people. "I hope you're all having fun in the afterlife. Now, I'll just go do the only thing that you cannot do." The man stated as he got up.

"What's that?" Goku asked.

"See your son."

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan grabbed the alien's head and crushed the man's skull easily before brushing the body aside. He whirled around to catch a punch from the next alien. Their faces were all the same. These simulation machines really needed an upgrade. Gohan fought all these people already.

Gohan pushed his fist through the alien's stomach, running it right through his body. After this he dropped the body and it disappeared. The entire world around him melted away and all that remained was a dark room.

"Simulation completed."

Gohan placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. He was exhausted, and he still had to do three of these.

"Two in one hour… I doubt you're going to complete all five in three hours." Vegeta's voice taunted from the sound system.

Gohan looked up. "I told you that was impossible."

"Come out here."

The half-saiyan sent the man a curious glance once he was outside. "What did you talk about with my father?" He asked.

"That's none of your business."

"Yes, it is! Come on. Tell me."

Vegeta leaned over and sniffed the half-saiyan before standing up straight and waving his hand in front of his own face. "Pfew…" He exclaimed. "Someone smells very bad. I can't have you smelling up my entire office. Go clean up and report back to my office once you're done."

Gohan scoffed. "Yes sir." He muttered before moving away. The boy stopped near the doorway. "You know, you could have just said that you didn't want to talk about it." He stated before he left the room.

Not long later, Gohan passed the guards that were standing next to the doorway to Vegeta's office. The boy nodded to them and they nodded back. He was one of the most frequent visitors.

Gohan knelt down and got up once Vegeta told him so. The young warrior intended to walk to his desk but Vegeta called him over. The man held out a small silver package.

Gohan accepted it, wondering what was inside. Vegeta looked up at Gohan. "It's a treat." He stated. "Chocolate or something similar to it." The man watched as Gohan gave the package an eager glance but the boy looked up again.

"Do I have to give it to someone?"

Vegeta shook his head. "No. It's for you." He stated. The man pressed his lips together for a moment while Gohan showed a very surprised expression. "Good work today." Vegeta managed to throw out. The man made a pained face. This was horrible.

Gohan nearly dropped the package but he managed to keep it in his hands. The boy could see how difficult it was for his master to hand out a compliment. Vegeta tended not to. He expected everyone to do a good job and perform to the best of their abilities. His philosophy was that nobody needed to be told that they did a good job. They should be intending to do a good job at all times.

Gohan nodded. "Thank you, master." He stated, deciding to be extra polite right now.

Vegeta nodded as well and turned back to his computer. "Get back to work." He snarled. The pleasant moment was over. Gohan bowed and walked to his own desk. There he opened the package and realized it was a small box with several chocolates in it. The young warrior looked up.

"Do you want one?" Gohan asked Vegeta. The man only shook his head in response so Gohan grabbed one of the chocolates and put it in his mouth.

Delicious.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Solitude was difficult to achieve in Vegeta's ship. There were people everywhere. Gohan officially lost his own office. Vegeta decided that it would be easier to work together when Gohan worked in the same room.

The half-saiyan was now in the process of avoiding Vegeta. He "accidentally" lost his scouter and communication device on which Vegeta could call him and Gohan made sure he was nowhere to be found.

He had been searching for a place where he could be alone all day but he had no such luck. Now he found himself curling up on one of the couches in Vegeta's personal living room. This seemed like a dangerous place to be but Gohan knew Vegeta was hardly in here. The man always went from his bedroom, to his office, and back to his bedroom. The living room was mainly there for show or for half-saiyans who wanted to read a fiction while they should be working.

Gohan was halfway through the book when he felt two presences approaching the room. The young warrior assumed he was caught by Vegeta but he soon realized that this didn't feel like Vegeta at all.

"Gohan!" Kishi ran inside. She looked around in awe at the spacious room. "Is this your room?" She asked.

Gohan slowly shook his head. "No. It's my boss's room." He responded awkwardly. "I'm just living in it right now."

"That must mean he trusts you enough to let you in here." Kishi observed. The young woman twirled around a few times and smiled at him. "What do you think?"

Gohan was too busy glaring at Tobney for bringing Kishi out of her room to pay attention to her outfit. "What? Oh, your dress?" Gohan asked. "It's very nice."

Kishi made an annoyed face and she slowly shook her head. "Honestly, Gohan. For someone who tries to bribe me from asking when you'll let me go by buying me all these amazing gifts you never make time to see how they look on me."

Gohan opened and closed his mouth. Had he really been that obvious in this whole ordeal?

Kishi was already distracted by the books in Vegeta's book closets. The man liked the original versions of the books. The ones he could hold in his hands. There were several book closets leaning against the walls of the living room.

Tobney walked closer to the chair in which Gohan was sitting. The half-saiyan looked up at him. "You brought her here?" He closed his book and placed it on the soft brown fabric of the couch.

"She wanted to go out."

"You cannot just walk around the ship with her. What if the soldiers see her?" Gohan hissed, glaring up at him.

"Oh, come on. She's your concubine, remember? Nobody is going to cross Vegeta's assistant." Tobney smirked as he fell down on the couch.

Tobney looked so smug that Gohan wanted to tone him down a bit. "This is Vegeta's room, remember? There is a chance that he'll come back. He won't be happy to see you here."

His older friend waved this comment away. "He should be training with Comora. I heard them talking in Comora's office and," Tobney sent his friend a quick smirk, "he's very angry with you because he cannot find you and he thinks you're hiding on purpose. So I'm not worried." The man leaned on the glass table with his white boots.

Gohan made a face. Vegeta didn't know how right he was about that. Tobney leaned over and wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "Besides, I don't think Vegeta knows how much money you're spending in his name on clothing and jewelry for your little concubine." He teased.

The half-saiyan met Tobney's gaze for a moment. "What can he do? He won't kill me. He definitely won't fire me. I might as well test the waters and see how far I can go." The young warrior let out a sigh. "Besides, what else can I do? I don't get paid and she doesn't want to stay here. All I can do is distract her."

Tobney pulled his arm away from Gohan's shoulders. "You can do more." He stated. "Look at her." Tobney nodded to Kishi, who was now looking over the books. She stopped and grabbed a book so she could take a better look at it. "She's cute."

"Go ahead." Gohan muttered as he looked down at his book. "I don't want her."

"Maybe not right now."

"Not ever. Vegeta bought her for me. So she can be a concubine or whatever. I don't even know what it means but I do know that it has to do something with the pleasure quarters and I do not want to force her into something like that." Gohan responded.

Tobney barked out a laugh. "I don't think a guy like you will need to do any forcing when it comes to women." He said.

Kishi was approaching them. "This room is amazing. Why can't I spend more time here?"

Gohan got up. "It's dangerous for you to walk around here." He responded. "I'm going to bring you back to your room."

"I don't want to go back to my room." Kishi complained.

Tobney looked over at Gohan. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

"I bet you will."

Three faces looked over to the doorway simultaneously. Vegeta was standing there, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"I didn't realize my personal room was a place where everyone could just gather."

Gohan got up and knelt down. "It's my fault, sir. I asked Tobney to bring Kishi over here so she could spend some time outside her room."

"No." Tobney interfered. "That's not true…"

"Shut up." Gohan snarled over his shoulder.

"Why are you outside our office?" Vegeta asked as he stepped into the room. "I've been looking for you all day. What's the use of a personal slave if he's not around to serve me?"

Kishi was staring at Vegeta with wide eyes but the man ignored her. "And you." The man looked at Tobney. "What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be off licking your comrades' feet somewhere?"

Tobney didn't respond so Gohan decided to help his friend out. "I apologize, sir." He stated. "I thought you had a training session with Comora."

"He was called away." Vegeta responded. "Some crisis on his ship." The man stepped into the room. "It doesn't matter. I wanted to have a meeting with you so we might as well stay here and do that." Vegeta walked over to the couch. "Throw out the trash and get me something to drink."

Gohan figured Vegeta was talking to him. "Yes sir." He responded. The boy motioned for Kishi to follow him and she did, silently.

"Tobney." The three youngsters stopped when they heard Vegeta's voice. The man wasn't looking at them. "If I catch you in my personal quarters without my permission again I will make sure to whip all the flesh off your back, do you understand me?"

Gohan looked over at Tobney. The older warrior nodded slowly. "Yes sir." He responded. Gohan was surprised by his calm behavior. The tween had the tendency to explode when Vegeta even looked at him.

The trio left the room. Tobney excused himself and left without saying anything else. Gohan motioned for Kishi to follow him, which she did without any objections.

The young woman threw a quick look over her shoulder before walking closer to Gohan. She leaned in a little and whispered: "I didn't know lord Vegeta could be so mean."

Her voice was so soft that Gohan barely heard her so his mind had to take a moment to figure out the meaning of her sentence. "That's basically how he is." He responded.

"Really?"

She seemed so shocked that Gohan couldn't help but chuckle. "What did you expect?" He asked.

"Well, you told me he buys child slaves so they can spend their youth doing odd jobs on his ships and they won't be sold into sex trafficking until they're at least sixteen." Kishi responded in a whisper. "You said he gives them one day off every month and that they get decent meals and they're allowed to take daily showers. The slaves on this ship live very privileged lives."

"That he tolerates those 'privileges' doesn't necessarily mean he came up them." Gohan said slowly. "He only started those traditions a couple of years ago."

"He must have had a reason for it."

Gohan almost responded that yes, Vegeta indeed have a reason for it and that was a small half-saiyan who kept claiming that his slaves would work harder if he gave them something to work for.

They were silent as they walked to Kishi's room. There Gohan opened the door for her to let her in. "Let me tell you. The man you saw today. That's basically how all the soldiers here are. That's why I'm afraid to let you go out."

"You aren't like that." Kishi stated as she looked at him.

Gohan sent the young woman a smile. "Not yet." He responded before he told her good night and closed the door.

The half-saiyan turned back in the direction he came from. He couldn't worry about Kishi. For now, he needed to get back to his master and face the obvious bad mood Vegeta displayed earlier.

On times like this, he realized that he envied his best friend a little. Tobney didn't have the best past either and he wasn't a soldier in this army because he wanted to, but at least Tobney's comrades were less easy to anger. Vegeta could get angry very easily and the only person he could take this anger out on was Gohan.

The young warrior took a deep breath before he entered Vegeta's personal quarters.

"Took you long enough. Get us something to drink and sit down. I need to discuss something with you."

"Yes sir." Gohan nodded once before he moved to the small kitchen area. Yep, Gohan would have to walk on eggshells from now on. This was going to be a long day…

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Have a nice weekend and please review to let me know what you think!**


	24. Chapter 24: Arriving on Planet Yuna

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

"_I told you to go in, get the information and get out. You decided to take a detour through his memories all on your own." Comora stated._

"_I didn't mean to go that far in. It's not my fault that I cannot develop my telepathic abilities." Tobney snarled._

"_There is a reason for that. We don't want you to get too good at that." Comora responded._

"_You mean that jerk doesn't want me to get too good at it. I know what I can do. I read about it. Mister high and mighty is afraid of my abilities."_

"_The walls have ears here, Tobney." Suno interrupted. "Don't say things like that." _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Wherever Vegeta is, you are usually right there with him." Comora stated. "So when Tobney decides to make an attempt on Vegeta's life what will you do? Will you do your job and protect your master or will you help out your friend." The man leaned in closer. "In other words, who is more important, your best friend or your mother?"_

_Gohan lowered his gaze. "I…. I don't know."_

"_Well you'd better figure that out soon, kiddo, because I have a feeling that you'll need to make that decision sooner or later."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Right." Vegeta said slowly. "You need a push. Something has to trigger your power. What triggered it before…? A friend got hurt…" Vegeta's gaze wandered off to Tobney momentarily. "Or you got in a situation beyond your control… A situation where you're backed into a corner." The man's expression changed and a smirk appeared on his face. "For example, when six of the strongest elite warriors are beating you nearly_ to death."

_Gohan widened his eyes. He slowly shook his head. "Vegeta… No…"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The other warriors froze and they watched in awe as Gohan transformed back to the super saiyan level, but he did not stop there. The half-saiyan clenched his fists tightly and he pushed through that invisible barrier._

_Tobney looked down when he realized that the room was shaking. The ship was shaking. This room was supposed to be able to withstand anything. Comora moved his arms up to shield his eyes from the light Gohan was emitting._

_Vegeta's mouth was open slightly as he watched something change in Gohan. For just a moment, his hair stood up even more straight. For just a moment, the half-saiyan opened his eyes and the two warriors stood face to face. Their gazes crossed paths and Vegeta realized that his hands were shaking. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_You felt it, didn't you?" Vegeta asked. "There is a level beyond the super saiyan level and today you reached it, didn't you? But you couldn't handle it. The strain was too much for your body. I can help you control it. I can help you train." _

"_You would do that?" Gohan asked, frowning a little._

"_I would." Vegeta said, nodding. "But I want something in return." _

"_Surprise Surprise." Gohan muttered drily. _

"_Once you've reached the second level, I want you to help me reach it. And you're not allowed to challenge me to a fight to the death until I've reached the second level too." Vegeta said. _

_Gohan nodded. "Okay. That sounds fair." He said. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Comora pulled Gohan closer, forcing the half-saiyan to take a step forward. "Look at me." He ordered when Gohan was still looking away._

_The half-saiyan slowly lifted his gaze to meet the man's eyes. "What is going on with you?" Comora asked. "You have no reason to behave this way." The boy stayed silent but continued to look at the man. "Come on, Gohan. Tell me. You can trust me."_

_This triggered a reaction. "Trust you?" Gohan snarled back. "You nearly killed me and I'm supposed to trust you?" He ripped his arm free from Comora's grip. "Go to hell!" _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Kakarot." Vegeta started. __"I want to talk to you about your son. Do you know about our arrangement?" he asked._

"_Yes, I do." Goku responded. "Gohan told me."_

_****  
>Vegeta took a deep breath. "I am asking you for advice on how to train your bratty son." <em>

_After a brief silence, Goku was the first one to respond. "Thank you for asking, Vegeta." He said, sounding cheerful. "As you said, I'm not really an expert on my own son anymore, but I do know some things about him. Ask away."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ****  
><strong>_Tobney looked over at Gohan. "Don't worry. I'll take care of Kishi."_

"_I bet you will."_

_Three faces looked over to the doorway simultaneously. Vegeta was standing there, arms crossed and a scowl on his face._

"_I didn't realize my personal room was a place where everyone could just gather." _

_Gohan got up and knelt down. "It's my fault, sir. I asked Tobney to bring Kishi over here so she could spend some time outside her room."_

_****  
>The young warrior took a deep breath before he entered Vegeta's personal quarters. <em>

"_Took you long enough. Get us something to drink and sit down. I need to discuss something with you." _

"_Yes sir." Gohan nodded once before he moved to the small kitchen area. Yep, Gohan would have to walk on eggshells from now on. This was going to be a long day…_

**Moving on~**

**Chapter 24. Arriving on planet Yuna.**

Gohan tapped on the counter with his finger while he waited for the coffee to finish. He grabbed cold chocolate milk for himself before turning back to the main area of the room. He placed the coffee cup on the glass table in front of Vegeta.

"I think I just aged a year while you were taking care of all this." Vegeta muttered.

"Don't exaggerate." Gohan responded, sounding rather annoyed. Vegeta looked up, raising both his eyebrows and Gohan quickly apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Someone is getting awfully full of themselves. Just because you had a little power boost, that doesn't mean you can mouth off to your superiors."

"I know." Gohan responded, trying very hard not to get angry. "I'm sorry."

"You've been acting out lately. Forsaking your job, having parties in my common room..."

"That was a hardly a party."

"...talking back to me while you should be quiet."

"Vegeta." Gohan stated. "I apologized. What more do you want from me?"

The older saiyan got up and walked over to the desk that was standing in the corner of the room. He grabbed a small projector and walked back to the couch. Placing the projector on the table, Vegeta turned it on and chose a projection of Gohan's most recent statuses.

The elite soldiers often had to participate in an evaluation. They would assess the soldier's age and height. Aside from that they would test their blood to check how their bodily health was and they would weigh the soldiers with a special scale that could tell how much fat and muscle a certain soldier's body contained.

Gohan glanced at his statuses. The boy was uncomfortable with the fact that Vegeta knew pretty much anything about him, even how his body worked and everything it contained.

The young warrior looked up at his master. Vegeta looked at the young warrior. "These tests are from a month ago. We'll be assessing you tomorrow and after that I'll let you get tested on a monthly basis."

"Monthly?" Gohan repeated. "Why?"

"So I can track your progress." Vegeta responded. Gohan's mouth was somewhat open so Vegeta continued: "You're my trainee now, kid. Since you started working here we've never really trained each other. We just sparred together and tried to defeat each other. Aside from that we didn't bother helping each other out. That's going to change."

Vegeta touched the projection and the picture disappeared and another screen reappeared. This one showed seven different warmup routines. "I made a warmup routine for every day of the week. After the seven days you can start over with the first one etc. You can check them off after you've done them."

"But I already have a routine." Gohan interjected.

"I know. You'll do this one on top of your own routine."

"WHAT?" Gohan exclaimed. That would be an hour worth of warming up every day.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the half-saiyan. "I don't see why you're being so difficult. You agreed to let me train you and now you're whining?"

"I didn't know you were going to take it so seriously."

"I'm usually such a joker, right?"

Gohan lowered his gaze. He didn't really know how to respond to this. Vegeta took this as a signal that Gohan gave up, so he continued: "Of course, I cannot spend all my time looking after your training progress. I have more important things to attend to. Therefore, I made a deal with Comora and general Coconal."

"General Coocoo?" Gohan exclaimed.

Vegeta raised both his eyebrow and Gohan placed a hand in front of his mouth. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing."

"Hmm." Vegeta held Gohan's suddenly very innocent gaze for a moment. "We will take turns training you until you can control the second super saiyan level. After that, you and I will focus on my transformation."

"General Coconal is going to train me?" Gohan asked, frowning. General Coconal, affectionately called 'General Coocoo' by all the young soldiers in the army, was one of the leaders of the army's training camp.

Every soldier who wanted to join Vegeta's army had to complete a training of usually three years at a harsh training camp on a planet in the western quatrain. The camp was led by a large group of 'generals', and general Coconal was one of them.

The fact that general Coconal was a horrible and intense man was not why Gohan was looking so horrified right now. General Coconal disliked most young soldiers but he hated Gohan and Tobney.

Gohan was the only soldier in Vegeta's army who did not have to complete the training at the training camp. He became a soldier, and a high positioned one at that, right away. Coconal considered it cheating and he treated Gohan like crap from the moment the two met.

Tobney, however, was a different matter altogether. Tobney was sent to the training camp by Vegeta, but the young warrior managed to escape. After Tobney left the camp, general Coconal practically begged Vegeta to get the boy back but Vegeta already put Tobney in the Suta Team and the saiyan warrior decided to keep Tobney there. Coconal considered Tobney his own personal failure in life and he kept reminding the young warrior of that every time they met.

"Exactly." Vegeta said, nodding.

"Vegeta!"

"What?"

"You can't force me to spend time with him." Gohan complained.

"Why not?"

"He hates me!"

Vegeta leaned back on his seat. He was aware of general Coconal's feelings towards Gohan. "He's wanted to train you for a while now. Let's give him the opportunity."

"I don't want to give him the opportunity. I…" Gohan said but Vegeta interrupted him.

"He does not believe you deserve to be where you are. He'll to do anything it takes to show you that you do not belong here. He'll be the perfect trainer." Vegeta said, nodding.

Gohan scoffed. "Leave it up to you to come up with such a sadistic idea."

"Your Namekian friend agreed with me. Your father did too." Vegeta's amused voice made Gohan look up.

"Yeah right." Gohan got up from his chair. "Are we done here?"

"Getting upset, are we?"

"I'm not upset." Gohan turned away from the man. "I have work to do. I cannot sit here all day listening to some stupid training regime that's probably not even going to work at all."

Vegeta glanced over at the book Gohan left on the couch. The half-saiyan was reading that when Vegeta arrived earlier. The man grabbed the cover and pulled it up in the air, causing the book to fall open. "Work, huh?"

Gohan snatched the book from Vegeta's hands. After this he bowed. "Permission to get back to work in our office, sir?"

"Sure." Vegeta responded. He watched as Gohan walked out the room. The man sipped from his drink.

"He took it well…" Goku's voice muttered. Vegeta looked up at the ceiling. Unbeknown to Gohan, Vegeta channelled Goku and Piccolo while Gohan was bringing Kishi back to her room so that they could listen to Gohan's reaction to the news that general Coconal would be one of his trainers.

"He'll get over it." Piccolo responded. "I think Gohan should go to the camp for a couple of months."

"No. I need the boy on my ship." Vegeta shook his head. "Coconal does not mind spending some time here. I promised him he could have a crack at Tobney too, so he'll be too busy to complain."

"I feel pretty good about this decision." Goku stated cheerfully.

Vegeta looked up at the ceiling. "I'm done talking to you now. Get out of my head." The man ignored their farewells as he stared at the entrance of the room. Talking to these people was such a pain…

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Vegeta's gaze locked onto Comora's red orbs. The two warriors gauged each other's stance, trying to find weaknesses in their opponents defence.

Unfortunately for the two warriors, they were both no pushovers. They knew how to defend themselves, so the chances of finding a weakness in the other's defence were very slim.

Comora decided to go for it. He launched at his lord, pulling back a fist. Vegeta moved up his hand to block the punch, but Comora disappeared from his sight. Vegeta whirled around just in time to block a kick from the other warrior.

"Nice try." Vegeta growled before he pushed Comora back. The squad leader made no response, but tried to blast his lord. Vegeta deflected this blast with ease. He knew how his second-in-command fought. His friend could not surprise him anymore.

Vegeta switched to offense-mode. He launched towards his subordinate, throwing punches from every direction. The lord of the universe could briefly see the shock in his comrade's eyes, but Comora regained his composure and countered the attacks with precision.

Tobney and Kaon were watching the fight. Kaon crossed his arms over each other. "Two masters at work." He muttered. "Watch carefully. You can learn from this."

Tobney scoffed. "Yeah right. The only thing I can learn from them is how to be a jerk."

Kaon glanced sideways. "Someone is in a bad mood lately." He drawled before looking up at the fight again. "What's got your knickers in a twist?"

"Nothing." Tobney responded. "You know how much I enjoy training with lord high-and-mighty." He muttered in a soft voice.

Kaon chuckled in response. Tobney's opinion of Vegeta would never change. Kaon was pretty sure the sentiment went both ways. "Just try to keep your insults to yourself." He muttered in response. The man uncrossed his arms and gently knocked against Tobney's hand with his knuckles. "Wouldn't want to get hurt."

Tobney glanced down at the branded V on his hand. Every slave on Vegeta's ship had the capital V branded on his or her palm. Recently, Vegeta decided to brand Tobney in order to punish him for bad behaviour. Tobney felt his anger rise as he remembered how Vegeta pressed the boy's palm against the hot iron plate.

Tobney closed his fist. "I know my place." He responded briefly. After this he turned away from the fight. This conversation was over.

Kaon watched him walk away. "Do you?" He called after his younger comrade. "Cause you sure as hell aren't acting like it."

Vegeta rolled his eyes as he ducked to avoid a punch from his opponent. The man blocked the next punch. Time to retaliate. The saiyan prince punched Comora but found his attack to be blocked.

The lord of the universe eyed his opponent. The man noted the minor injuries on Comora's face and arms. The group had been at it for a couple of hours now. "I'd say we're done here." He stated.

Comora nodded in response. "I agree, lord."

They joined Kaon and Tobney on the ground. While stretching, Comora made sure to sit down near Vegeta. The man hesitated for a while until he decided to turn to Vegeta.

"Lord Vegeta?" He started. "Permission to ask you a question."

Vegeta stretched out his legs and leaned forwards to touch his toes. "Permission granted."

"Have you noticed anything different about Gohan's behaviour, lately?" Comora asked, looking up at his boss.

Vegeta sat up, tilting his head sideways. "Why would I notice his behaviour at all?"

Comora shrugged. "You spend all day with him, sir. You must have noticed some sort of change in his recent behaviour. His response to your presence."

The saiyan prince thought about this for a moment. "He definitely has a big mouth lately." He stated. "I want to think it's because of what humans call puberty, but he's only eleven. It would be way too early."

"I'm pretty sure he's thirteen." Comora responded, showing a small smirk at Vegeta's lack of interest in his assistant.

"No," Vegeta shook his head, "he's only been working for me since…" Vegeta stopped talking and showed a thoughtful expression. "Oh…" The man's expression went to a sober one again. "You've seen a change in his behaviour?"

Comora nodded once.

"And you're worried about it?" Vegeta got up.

"Worried is not really what I'd call it. I figured if he's bothered by something, it might affect his ability to perform well during a fight. A squad of warriors needs to have trust in each other or we'll lose every battle on our path." Comora explained. "I don't like bad blood in my team."

Vegeta nodded in response. "I understand." The man seemed to think this over for a minute before turning sideways. "You!" Vegeta pointed at Tobney. "Boy."

"That's not my name." Tobney responded briefly. Kaon, who was stretching near him, nudged the boy briefly. "Sir." Tobney added after the nudge.

Vegeta slowly shook his head as he approached Tobney. "I don't care." He stated. "You should know if Gohan is bothered by something."

"Why should I tell you? It's not like you will do anything even if Gohan would be floating out in the vacuum." Tobney snarled. "If you really care go ask him yourself."

"I don't care but it can interfere with his training so if you know anything you'd better come clean."

Tobney rolled his eyes and wanted to walk away but Vegeta placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him back. "Don't turn your back on me!" Vegeta snarled. "Honestly, have you forgotten the lesson I taught you last week?"

Tobney balled the hand on which the branded V was seen to a fist. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the young warrior. "Your misbehavior is getting annoying. You've been treading on thin ice ever since you joined this army. Don't think I don't know what you say about me when you think I'm not listening. I know and I see everything."

Tobney obviously found it difficult to remain calm. "What do you want from me, sir?" He asked in a still calm voice.

Vegeta allowed a smirk to crawl onto his face. "Tell me what I want to hear."

"Of course Gohan is hesitant to spend time with us. We nearly killed him. He trusted us and we betrayed him by going way too far." Tobney responded. "Yes, Gohan tenses whenever we come close to him. Yes, he is aware of wherever we go. Yes, he considers us a threat. What did you expect, lord Vegeta? We cannot just erase what we've done."

Vegeta tilted his head sideways. "You seem to feel bad about this."

"Of course I do! I'm not a heartless monster like you!" Tobney snarled back.

The loud high-pitched sound of a smack of flesh against flesh could be heard. Tobney's face was knocked sideways. The boy could feel his cheek throbbing but he refused to place a hand on his cheek. Vegeta lowered his hand. "If you insult me one more time…"

"Then what?" Tobney growled at him. "Kill me, Vegeta. I dare you." His voice sounded sarcastic but the look in his eyes told the saiyan that the boy was serious.

Vegeta laughed. "That would be such a waste of talent and entertainment."

Tobney powered up. He attacked Vegeta head on. The boy pulled back a fist and was about to punch the man but two figures got in his way.

Comora and Kaon caught Tobney's body and pushed him back. The boy stumbled backwards but managed to stay on his feet. Vegeta hadn't made a move.

"Get out of my way!" Tobney snarled at the two men.

Comora and Kaon were still standing in front of Vegeta. Comora stepped closer. "Calm down." He stated. The man placed a hand on Tobney's shoulder but Tobney shrugged it off.

Comora now placed both hands on Tobney's shoulders and tightened his grip. "Calm. Down." He stated firmly. They might be in the training room, but Tobney could still be charged with treason if he attacked the leader of their army.

"Ah, let him, Comora. It will be fun." Vegeta mocked.

Comora grabbed Tobney's chin and forced the boy to look at him. "You promised." He stated, referring to a moment long ago when Tobney promised them not to challenge Vegeta.

Tobney calmed down. The boy lowered his gaze. "May I be excused?" He whispered.

Comora nodded. "Go." He ordered. Tobney immediately turned around and ran out the room. Comora slowly shook his head. "Tweens." He muttered.

The man turned back to Vegeta, who was glaring at Tobney's retreading figure. "We need to focus on Gohan." Comora stated.

"I want him punished for what he said to me." Vegeta snarled at the tall man.

"That will be taken care of, lord." Comora said before he nodded to Kaon and indicated to the dressing room with his head. Kaon nodded in response and headed for the same door Tobney went through.

"What about Gohan, sir?" Comora continued.

Vegeta took a deep breath. "We're leaving for the Yuna mission tomorrow. I'll talk to him when we're there."

"You will, sir?" Comora raised both his eyebrows. He seemed so surprised that it annoyed Vegeta a little. Just a little.

"Yes. I _can_ talk." Vegeta said, sounding awfully like a stubborn child.

"I know… It's just…" Comora stopped talking. No reason to argue with Vegeta right now. It would only make the warrior angry, and Comora definitely did not want Vegeta to get angry with him.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "It's just… What?" He said in a dangerously calm voice.

"Nothing, lord Vegeta." Comora shook his head. "I know you'll do just fine. You're the only one who can get through to that boy." The man bowed his head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, lord." He stated.

Vegeta gave him permission to leave, and Comora turned to leave the room.

Kaon and Tobney were waiting in the dressing room. Comora placed his hands on his hips. "Why are you still here?"

Kaon shrugged. "I figured you wanted to talk to him." He pointed to Tobney with his thumb.

"Get him out of lord Vegeta's sight, you moron." Comora almost pushed Tobney out the room. "Argh… Why do I have to work with idiots?" He exclaimed dramatically. Tobney and Kaon exchanged annoyed glances in response to his statement.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The following day, Gohan was staring out the window. He wasn't looking forward to this trip to Yuna. Their first visit to planet Yuna was only a year ago. He still remembered how he was dreading this excursion. Back then, Vegeta just reached the super saiyan level and he was teasing and torturing Gohan with the fact that he couldn't transform. According to Vegeta, Gohan was simply too weak to reach it.

A smirk appeared on Gohan's face as he thought about how smug Vegeta used to be back then. During the last Yuna trip, Gohan showed Vegeta just how weak the boy was…

****** One Year Ago ******

_The twelve-year-old warrior was running through the bushes. Well… running was a bit strong. He was limping, tripping, falling down and getting up. All this was done very quickly because he was not alone. He was being chased._

_The half-saiyan panted heavily as he stopped running and he turned around. He tried to catch his breath as he listened for any sounds of danger. An energy orb flew right past him and Gohan gasped painfully when it scorched his arm. The half-saiyan stumbled back and tripped over the root of a tree. _

"_Pathetic." _

_Gohan looked around when he heard Vegeta's voice. The boy shifted back when he noticed a saiyan-sized shadow near him. Vegeta stepped out into the clearing, studying the half-saiyan with a cold look on his face._

"_Get up. We're not done yet."_

"_Can I just get a moment to bandage my leg? I can't use it like this." Gohan responded as he gently grabbed his upper leg with both hands. There was a large gash in his lower leg._

_Earlier that day, Vegeta attacked Gohan with two pointy wooden sticks and the man managed to push one of the sharp ends right through Gohan's lower leg. The half-saiyan lost so much blood that he was starting to pale. His leg was hurting so badly that he almost lost consciousness several times since then. _

"_No." Vegeta said, shaking his head. The man looked up at the setting sun. "You will get your rest hours when the sun is down. Until then you'll just have to keep going."_

_Gohan bit his lower lip and he pushed his body up until he was standing. The young warrior sank into a fighting stance, his hurt leg trembling in the effort. Blood was dripping down his white boot. _

_Vegeta studied the half-saiyan for a moment and he growled. "Sit down." He ordered before he walked to one of the bushes. He gathered a couple of large leaves. They weren't as good as a bandage but they would cover the wound and hopefully stop the bleeding. _

_Vegeta knelt down near the half-saiyan and unceremoniously grabbed Gohan's foot and pulled him closer so he could reach the wound better. The half-saiyan nearly fell back in the process and he shot Vegeta a poisonous glare._

_Vegeta reached in the inner pocket of his armour and retrieved a small bottle. It contained a thinned version of the rejuvenation serum. It would help heal the worst wounds, but it would work slower than the real thing. _

_Gohan removed his boot and Vegeta ripped open the uniform on the area around the wound. The older saiyan leaked some of the thinned serum on the half-saiyan's wound._

"_I can bandage it." Gohan offered._

"_I'm more practiced in medicine. I already have to wait for you. Might as well do it right." Vegeta responded briefly._

_Gohan tensed when Vegeta grabbed hold of his wounded leg again and started wrapping the leaves around it. Vegeta might be practiced in medicine but he was definitely not practiced in gentleness. Gohan's hands were placed behind him so they could support his body. He leaned his head back and pressed his lips on each other tightly to make sure he wouldn't let out any sounds of discomfort while Vegeta roughly bandaged his leg. _

"_Alright. This should do for now." Vegeta got up and Gohan pulled his boot back on. The half-saiyan got up. His leg was still very painful but at least the blood wasn't dripping off anymore and he could feel the serum's power, slowly healing his wound._

"_Thanks." _

"_I didn't do it for you. I just want to have an adequate opponent." Vegeta responded, waving his thanks away. The man powered up and flew up in the air. There he transformed to the super saiyan level and motioned for Gohan to come up too._

_Gohan watched him go. The boy powered up too. Appearing in front of Vegeta, Gohan decided he was going to give Vegeta exactly what he wanted. A real challenge. He would show the man just how adequate he could be._

_The half-saiyan launched at Vegeta, pulling back a fist. Vegeta dodged his punch. The man tried to kick Gohan, but the half-saiyan moved away in time to dodge it. The young warrior moved back and bent through his knees a bit. He put his hands together at his hip. Vegeta wanted to see strength? Fine. He would give the man exactly what he wanted. Gohan created a blast._

"_Ka…" He started,_

_Vegeta recognized Gohan's stance and he allowed a smirk to appear on his face. Okay. Two could play that game. Turning sideways, Vegeta cupped his hands together in front of his chest and created a small purple bowl of energy._

"_Me…." Gohan couldn't help but feel excited as he watched Vegeta prepare to send a blast too. Would he be able to overtake the man? He would certainly love to. "Ha….me…"_

_Vegeta was done creating his attack and he sent the energy beam. "Gallick Gun!" He screamed as he fired it. _

_Gohan waited for just a second as he watched the beam close in on him. "Ha!" He pushed his hands forwards and he sent his own blue beam. The two beams met in mid-air, a wave of energy rippled around them but the two blasts continued to push against it each other._

_The two warriors powered up a little more. Vegeta's teal eyes narrowed for a moment as he put more power into the beam. Gohan could feel sweat drops falling down his forehead. The half-saiyan chewed on his lip when Vegeta's beam managed to push Gohan's attack back a bit._

_Gohan gritted his teeth and powered up even more. He couldn't just give up like that._

_Vegeta let out a laugh when his beam pushed Gohan's attack back even more. "You're down for the count, boy!" He mocked loudly. "Let's hope we can put you back together after this!"_

_The half-saiyan pursed his lip for a moment. We'll see about that. He powered up and added some more strength to the beam. He was not going to lose this. He was going to do it right this time. This time… He was going to show Vegeta what he was dealing with._

_Gohan gave a scream and pushed through, right through that invisible barrier. Vegeta widened his eyes when he realized that his blast was being overtaken. "Wait a minute…" He watched as the beam rapidly came closer. _

_The man managed to jump aside in order to avoid getting hit. "What the hell…" Vegeta muttered as he watched the beam disappear. The man looked back at Gohan, and his mouth fell open._

_The half-saiyan was leaning on his knees with his hands. He was breathing heavily, but what Vegeta focused on was Gohan's hair. Gohan's recently cut hair. Gohan hated the haircut. He wanted to keep his hair longer but Vegeta insisted on cutting it short. He reasoned that he didn't want to send Gohan to the hairdresser often. It was a waste of time in Vegeta's opinion. He just wanted Gohan's hair to be out of the way and nothing more. _

_The haircut wasn't what caught Vegeta's attention though. It was the colour. Gohan's hair was bright gold. The boy was bent over, panting heavily, so Vegeta couldn't see his eyes. The man appeared in front of Gohan and reached down. Grabbing hold of Gohan's face by pressing his fingers in Gohan's cheeks, he pushed the boy's face up. _

"_Wha…" The half-saiyan was forced to look Vegeta in the eye. Teal eyes. Vegeta released the half-saiyan. "What's going on?" Gohan asked, still panting. _

_Vegeta was silent for a moment while he allowed Gohan to catch his breath. The man roughly grabbed some of Gohan's hair and pulled it down so Gohan could see it._

"_Auch!" Gohan closed one eye as his scalp hurt, but he noticed hair colour and he reached up to grab his hair. "Oh... Is this mine? How…?" Gohan gasped when he realized what was going on. "But… How?" He gave Vegeta a hesitant glance. _

_The man nodded. "I was wondering the same thing…" He muttered. _

**** **Present time ****  
><strong>  
>The young warrior smiled as he thought about that day. He remembered being so proud because he ascended that day. However, Vegeta was very annoyed with how "easily" Gohan reached the super saiyan level. When Gohan and Vegeta returned to the main ship at the time, Gohan surprised the members of the Suta Team during their first training session together, by transforming right in front of them. He remembered being very amused at their surprised reactions.<p>

Gohan flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder. The half-saiyan closed his eyes for a moment when he recognized Vegeta's power level.

"Well, my assistant is not vigilant enough to keep an eye on his surroundings. I have so much faith in the rest of my army now." Vegeta mocked as he appeared next to Gohan and looked out the window too.

"I was thinking, sir." Gohan muttered as he opened his eyes.

"Strategizing?"

"I was hoping that you would let me off the hook, sir."

"I enjoy crushing false hopes." Vegeta responded, smirking a little. "I wanted to add one more rule to the game." He continued. Gohan glanced sideways. Vegeta kept adding rules. It made Gohan wonder if he could remember all of them. "I want both of us to stay in our super saiyan form all day."

"All day?" Gohan repeated. "But… That's impossible."

"It will be difficult." Vegeta said, nodding. "But we'll do just fine. I have full confidence in both of our strengths. Only during the day though. At night, our glow would give our position away. We transform once the sun rises and we power down when the sun sets."

"Fine." Gohan responded. The half-saiyan looked up when the robotic female voice of the ship announced that they arrived at their destination.

"It's time to go." Vegeta said as he turned away from the half-saiyan. Gohan followed his master to the space pods and he crawled into his own private pod.

He leaned back as the pod closed. After typing in the instructions and pressing the launching button, the half-saiyan leaned back as the space pod departed.

Off to planet Yuna.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan looked around. "It hasn't changed a bit." He muttered. The planet was still exactly the same. Gohan considered it a scary planet from the moment he landed there. Most of the surface was covered in woods. The trees were massive, uncontrolled by any force and thus able to grow until they couldn't grow anymore.

There were some rivers and streams casually making their way through the forests. The weather could go from bright sunshine to a horrible thunderstorm in a matter of seconds. The thunderstorms were to be avoided. Gohan and Vegeta found that out the hard way when they continued a fight in the middle of the thunderstorm and Vegeta got hit by lightning. The man survived but he had to recover for at least a few hours. After that, they decided that they would relocate their battle whenever a thunderstorm came around.

Aside from the difficult climate, there were many dangerous animals on this planet. There were even some humanoid beings. They were hostile. Very hostile. And big. Gohan remembered feeling very small when he first came across some of them. That was another thing. They saw you way before you saw them. They could move soundlessly around their prey and surround it before pounding on their dinner from every direction.

Gohan still remembered how Vegeta casually watched from a distance while Gohan was trying not to get beaten to death…

"This is a waste of our time." Vegeta turned to Gohan. "You know the drill. The first three days are full game. We only have half an hour of rest after sundown. The fourth day we can rest for an hour after sundown and after sunrise. On the fifth day we can rest for two hours after sundown only. The sixth night we rest the entire night."

"I understand." Gohan said, nodding. The boy's teal eyes scanned their surroundings once more. No enemies in sight yet.

"Good. Now," Vegeta looked at the silver watch around his wrist, "we'll fly for about an hour. You go west." He ordered. The small watch lit up when Vegeta pressed down on a button.

Gohan set the timer on his own watch. One hour exactly.

Vegeta looked at the young warrior. "I'll see you soon." He stated before he turned his back on the half-saiyan and flew away.

Gohan activated the timer and started flying west. They would fly away from each other for about an hour. After that, they would have to search for each other. The main goal of the game was attempting to catch the other warrior off guard. Gohan now had to try to sneak up on Vegeta, and attack the man from behind. After that, a fight would occur that could go on for ten hours max. Once the match was over, they would have to fly away from each other again and the game would start all over.

All this would have been a lot easier if the planet's natural inhabitants were not so hostile. Aside from that, Gohan and Vegeta would have to hunt for their food, cook it and try to find shelter whenever there was a dangerous thunderstorm. They had to do all this without being noticed by either their opponent or the humanoid inhabitants.

The timer on the watch went off. Gohan stopped flying. He lowered to the ground and started running back. They had to catch each other off guard. Therefore, if he flew, Vegeta would see him coming from miles away.

Gohan walked for a while, looking around. He'd already been on this planet once. He knew which fruits he could eat, which were poisoned, and which he found disgusting. There were many different types of small prey animals. He hoped to catch a couple of those before nightfall. He could easily carry them along while he was travelling, and he would be able to drop them anytime when attacked.

A couple of hours later, Gohan watched as the sun slowly went down. He knew he would have to spend the next couple hours in complete darkness. If he lit a fire, Vegeta might find him, and that was not good.

The young warrior could hear his stomach rumble. He let out a sigh. He needed food. Why did he not decide to wake a fire earlier? He should have cooked the meat of the small animals he found before dark.

Gohan looked around. He needed to find a cave of some sort; a place where he could cook and eat his food without being noticed or getting in trouble.

The young warrior gasped when he noticed a somewhat darker area on the rocks close to him. He hoped it was a cave. That would make his current life so much better. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he walked over to the dark area.

"Yes." He whispered. It was indeed a cave. He entered it, looking around curiously. The cave was not very large, but it would do for now. The young warrior gathered some wood, awoke a fire and prepared himself a delicious meal.

Gohan considered taking a nap. It would definitely do him good after all these hours of walking.

The young warrior leaned against the stone wall with his back. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He would just close his eyes for a while. That would do.

Gohan suddenly jerked awake. The cave was almost completely dark. The fire was close to dying. Did he fall asleep? Gohan sat up. How long had he been sleeping?

The cracking of a wooden branch made Gohan realize why he woke up. His instincts warned him of danger. Heavy footsteps. Many of them.

A group of big creatures was approaching their cave and, unbeknown to them, their new prey.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**I hope you liked the chapter! **

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Next time on Slave Soldier:**

Vegeta laughed in response to Gohan's curse. "I don't think I ever heard you curse… It's very satisfying."

*** DBZ ***

"Don't be so sure of yourself, brat. I've got some tricks up my sleeve."

*** DBZ ***

"_You see, boy. I am the strongest warrior alive." Vegeta stated as he eyed the young warrior. "And all that matters," He pointed to Gohan, "is that people like you know that." _

*** DBZ ***

Vegeta stared at the fire. "We didn't plan to go that far, boy. I didn't mean to shock you." The man hesitated but decided to continue. "I don't want to lose a soldier who is so important to my army."

*** DBZ ***

"Yes…" Vegeta muttered softly. "Power up, weakling!" He screamed, hoping it would add to Gohan's anger. "Or are you just another failure? A waste of space? Useless."

**Final Chapter: A Breakthrough and a Pleasant Surprise.**


	25. A Breakthrough and a Pleasant Surprise

**Hey there!**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Previously on Slave Soldier:**

"_Wherever Vegeta is, you are usually right there with him." Comora stated. "So when Tobney decides to make an attempt on Vegeta's life what will you do? Will you do your job and protect your master or will you help out your friend." The man leaned in closer. "In other words, who is more important, your best friend or your mother?"_

_Gohan lowered his gaze. "I…. I don't know."_

"_Well you'd better figure that out soon, kiddo, because I have a feeling that you'll need to make that decision sooner or later."_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_Right." Vegeta said slowly. "You need a push. Something has to trigger your power. What triggered it before…? A friend got hurt…" Vegeta's gaze wandered off to Tobney momentarily. "Or you got in a situation beyond your control… A situation where you're backed into a corner." The man's expression changed and a smirk appeared on his face. "For example, when six of the strongest elite warriors are beating you nearly_ to death."

_Gohan widened his eyes. He slowly shook his head. "Vegeta… No…"_

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_The other warriors froze and they watched in awe as Gohan transformed back to the super saiyan level, but he did not stop there. The half-saiyan clenched his fists tightly and he pushed through that invisible barrier._

_Tobney looked down when he realized that the room was shaking. The ship was shaking. This room was supposed to be able to withstand anything. Comora moved his arms up to shield his eyes from the light Gohan was emitting._

_Vegeta's mouth was open slightly as he watched something change in Gohan. For just a moment, his hair stood up even more straight. For just a moment, the half-saiyan opened his eyes and the two warriors stood face to face. Their gazes crossed paths and Vegeta realized that his hands were shaking. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

"_You felt it, didn't you?" Vegeta asked. "There is a level beyond the super saiyan level and today you reached it, didn't you? But you couldn't handle it. The strain was too much for your body. I can help you control it. I can help you train." _

"_You would do that?" Gohan asked, frowning a little._

"_I would." Vegeta said, nodding. "But I want something in return." _

"_Surprise Surprise." Gohan muttered drily. _

"_Once you've reached the second level, I want you to help me reach it. And you're not allowed to challenge me to a fight to the death until I've reached the second level too." Vegeta said. _

_Gohan nodded. "Okay. That sounds fair." He said. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Comora pulled Gohan closer, forcing the half-saiyan to take a step forward. "Look at me." He ordered when Gohan was still looking away._

_The half-saiyan slowly lifted his gaze to meet the man's eyes. "What is going on with you?" Comora asked. "You have no reason to behave this way." The boy stayed silent but continued to look at the man. "Come on, Gohan. Tell me. You can trust me."_

_This triggered a reaction. "Trust you?" Gohan snarled back. "You nearly killed me and I'm supposed to trust you?" He ripped his arm free from Comora's grip. "Go to hell!" _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_"Lord Vegeta?" Comora started. "Permission to ask you a question." _

_Vegeta stretched out his legs and leaned forwards to touch his toes. "Permission granted."_

"_Have you noticed anything different about Gohan's behaviour, lately?" Comora asked, looking up at his boss. _

****** DBZ ******

"_What about Gohan, sir?" Comora continued. _

_Vegeta took a deep breath. "We're leaving for the Yuna mission tomorrow. I'll talk to him when we're there."_

"_You will, sir?" Comora raised both his eyebrows. He seemed so surprised that it annoyed Vegeta a little. Just a little. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_On Planet Yuna._

"_This is a waste of our time." Vegeta turned to Gohan. "You know the drill. The first three days are full game. We only have half an hour of rest after sundown. The fourth day we can rest for an hour after sundown and after sunrise. On the fifth day we can rest for two hours after sundown only. The sixth night we rest the entire night." _

"_I understand." Gohan said, nodding. The boy's teal eyes scanned their surroundings once more. No enemies in sight yet. _

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

_Gohan suddenly jerked awake. The cave was almost completely dark. The fire was close to dying. Did he fall asleep? Gohan sat up. How long had he been sleeping?_

_The cracking of a wooden branch made Gohan realize why he woke up. His instincts warned him of danger. Heavy footsteps. Many of them. _

_A group of big creatures was approaching their cave and, unbeknown to them, their new prey. _

**Final Chapter. A Breakthrough and a Pleasant Surprise.**

Vegeta eyed his surroundings. He just had a light meal. It would keep him energized for a while so he decided to use this time to gain ground on his opponent. The man could smell the scents of different camp fires. The scent of food roasting above the many fires of the primitive species of this planet was delicious.

Gohan could have easily lit a fire somewhere without his knowledge. Vegeta would not know the difference. A fire created by the half-saiyan did not smell any different from the fires created by the native inhabitants. The penetrant scent of the fires in general made it more difficult for Vegeta to make out Gohan's scent. He caught a whiff of it earlier. A blood spatter on the ground that was accompanied by a very faint half-saiyan-ish scent. The young warrior definitely had dinner already.

Gohan had the tendency to do that. The boy would leave behind traces of his movements. A make-shift wooden arrow, a used fire pit, small indications of his presence. The boy would make Vegeta come to him, make the man believe that he would be surprising the half-saiyan, while Gohan was the one who would be able to catch Vegeta off-guard. The boy would suddenly appear, attacking Vegeta head-on.

Vegeta fell for that tactic last time they were on this planet. No. He would not be fooled this time. He was going to be the one to catch Gohan when the boy was least expecting it. Definitely.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan could hearthem approaching the cave. Their heavy footsteps sounded like thunder in his ears. They were not even trying to be quiet. They weren't expecting him here. A prey that walked into their cave willingly.

Gohan slowly got up. These creatures could hear very well. He had to be as quiet as he could possibly be. Gohan used his energy to put out the fire. He realized he would have to make a run for it. He did not care if Vegeta would sense his power level. He did not under any circumstances want to get trapped in a cave with these creatures.

The half-saiyan took a deep breath… And he ran for it. The boy ran to the opening of the cave. He could hear shouts of recognition. They saw him. He saw a flash of their white eyes. A glimpse of their bony entirely black skin. He instantly was reminded of the feeling of their strong leathery claws on his flesh.

Gohan did not stop. He pushed his body off and flew up into the air. Make-shift weapons flew around his body, missing him by only an inch every time. They could not fly but they could jump up very high. That's why Gohan made sure he flew upwards rather than away from them. He needed to fly high. Once he was out of their reach, he could decide which way he had to go.

Luckily, he did not have to go far. A massive blow to his cheek slammed Gohan backwards. The half-saiyan nearly fell out of the air but he managed to focus his power. The young warrior placed a hand on his cheek.

"Fuck!" He cursed as he felt the immense pain in his cheek, quickly moving to the rest of his head.

Vegeta laughed in response. "I don't think I ever heard you curse… It's very satisfying."

Gohan silently cursed himself for showing his emotions like that. The young warrior clenched his fists and glared at the other warrior.

"Well. I caught you off guard, and even within five hours. That's a bonus point for me." Vegeta said cheerfully. The man cracked his knuckles. "I'd say we try to throw each other down there." He motioned to the cave beneath them. The many aliens were still crawling around there, staring up at them. "It will be fun to watch you tear yourself away from those monsters."

"I'd say it will be amusing to watch how you're getting beaten up by them." Gohan responded, calmly once more.

Vegeta returned his smirk. "We'll see about that."

The two warriors eyed each other, silent, still, ready for battle. Gohan was the first one to attack. He sped towards his enemy, bringing back his fist. However, as his enemy brought up his hand to block Gohan's punch, the half-saiyan seemed to change his mind and the boy opened his other hand, sending a blast right at Vegeta's stomach.

Vegeta jumped up in the air, summersaulted over the young warrior and landed behind the boy. Vegeta pulled up his leg, trying to kick Gohan, but Gohan disappeared from his sight. Vegeta looked around, wondering where his subordinate went.

Gohan appeared high up in the air. He realized Vegeta was not aware of his position yet, so Gohan powered up an attack. The half-saiyan felt excited at the prospect of throwing his energy blast at his master. It would take the man completely by surprise and it would throw the man down into that hellhole filled with those horrid aliens.

He had to be fast. The energy had to be collected quickly before Vegeta could sense his presence and create a counterattack. Gohan put his hands together in front of him, creating a blast powerful enough to defeat Vegeta.

The saiyan prince slowly let his eyes scan his surroundings. Where was that boy? The man widened his eyes when a strange sensation made him aware of a power… Above him? Vegeta looked up right into a massive energy orb. The energy came falling towards him. Vegeta realized he did not have any time to dodge so he put his hands in front of him just a second before the blast hit his flesh. The man could feel the heat burning at his fingers.

Gohan powered up even more. He did not have to be cautious anymore. Vegeta knew exactly where he was, and the man was going to regret angering the half-saiyan. Gohan licked his lips as he put more energy into the attack.

Vegeta growled when he realized he was being pushed back. This was ridiculous. How could that boy be so strong? Where was the kid getting all his power from? The man powered up but he was already pushing his limit. This surprised him. He was not used to being tired out so quickly. He usually fought warriors weaker than him. He never had to meet his limit so fast.

The saiyan prince growled when his body was pushed back, downwards, closer to the aliens. Gohan showed a grin. He knew he was winning this match. Vegeta might have the upper hand when it came to tactical fighting, but when raw power was considered, Gohan was definitely stronger.

Vegeta gasped when a rock hit him in his back. The man glanced backwards. The aliens were throwing ropes and stones up to him. Vegeta gasped when a rope curled around his lower leg. The man used his energy to burn the rope. Another rope wrapped around his leg and a third rope crawled around his arm. The man could feel how the aliens tried to pull him down while Gohan was pushing from above.

It was over before they knew it. Vegeta's hands slipped and the energy pushed through his arms, through his fingers, pushing against his body. Gohan gave his orb one last push and he watched as the blast overtook his master.

Gohan did not shield his eyes from the light of the blast. He had to make sure Vegeta was hit and he could not do that if he kept his eyes closed.

Once the dust was settled, Gohan could see Vegeta's form, fighting off the aliens who tried to crawl onto his body. The half-saiyan laughed loudly.

"Have fun down there?" Gohan called.

"You won't be so smug once I get my hands on you!" Vegeta yelled back, shaking his fist at the young warrior. The man had to turn his attention back to the aliens.

Gohan watched as Vegeta threw another alien off. An alien managed to throw Vegeta to the ground and the man crashed down, screaming in annoyance when the aliens jumped on top of him. For a moment, Gohan lost sight of Vegeta, trapped in the dark forms of the aliens. That was until Vegeta powered up, letting out a scream, and throwing all the aliens aside with his energy.

Gohan put his hands behind his head and leaned back. He had to stay here to make sure the aliens would not kill his master. They were strong and could be unpredictable. However, that did not mean he could not enjoy it.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

**Five days later **

Gohan and Vegeta were tied up in yet another fight. They'd been fighting for hours and hours and they were both showing signs of fatigue. Was that a reason to give up? No way. This was when the fights got interesting. The moment when the opponents were so tired that they would have to resort to different tactics in order to survive, dirty or not.

Gohan caught a punch from Vegeta with his hand. The boy pushed the man back. "You've got to do better than that!" Gohan yelled, panting somewhat. His teal eyes were focused on his master.

Vegeta smirked as he powered up. "Don't be so sure of yourself, brat. I've got some tricks up my sleeve."

"Show me. I'm excited at the prospect of actually being challenged." Gohan taunted, returning Vegeta's smirk.

The saiyan prince laughed in response. This boy had been hanging out with his master too much. The man shrugged. "Alright." He moved up his hands and created several white energy orbs, sending them in the air all around them.

Gohan frowned as he studied the small blasts. They seemed harmless enough. If Vegeta intended to throw these at him he could easily avoid or deflect them.

Vegeta moved his hands up. The white lights hanging in the air crawled closer to the young warrior. The blasts wrapped themselves around Gohan's torso, latching onto his lower arms and pressing them tightly against his sides.

Gohan looked up. "What the…?" His eyes lowered to the white lights around his torso. The young warrior studied the energy bonds. "Wha-?" He muttered, before looking up. "I don't know this technique."

"You don't?" Vegeta asked, smirking.

"No…" Gohan gasped for air. "You kept this technique from me on purpose!" He said in an accusatory tone.

The half-saiyan narrowed his eyes when he saw the gleam of amusement in Vegeta's dark orbs. The man floated closer to the young warrior. "You can't expect me to stay idle while you're off on a mission with the Suta Team."

"Besides," Vegeta opened his hand and slowly started to close his fist. Gohan let out a groan when the bonds around his arms tightened. "I'd say it's time for me to show you who is the better fighter." The man was close enough to touch the young warrior, and he reached out. "You might have had your little power boost," Vegeta smacked against Gohan's cheek in an almost playful manner, "but you're not as experienced a fighter as I am. You're still a child."

Gohan took a deep breath to calm his temper. "For now," Vegeta cracked his knuckles, "I'll have some fun." The man pulled back a fist and punched the young warrior. Gohan gasped in pain. Vegeta did not give him any time to recover as he punched the young warrior again, and again.

After one particular punch, Gohan let his head hang forwards, letting out a miserable breath. Vegeta tilted Gohan's face upwards. "Chin up, kid. Take the beating like a man." Vegeta teased, smirking.

The saiyan prince started punching and kicking the young warrior at high speed. Gohan hardly had time to register the pain as it came from all directions, bruising his skin and breaking his flesh. Small wounds appeared all over his body.

Vegeta pushed his knee deep into Gohan's stomach. The half-saiyan let out a strangled groan and he lost his transformation, his black hair falling down his face. Vegeta realized Gohan was about to fall out of the sky so he reached out and grabbed the band of Gohan's armour.

"Where are you going? I'm not done with you yet." Vegeta snarled as he hoisted Gohan's body up in the air.

The boy spit out some blood, right into Vegeta's face. The saiyan prince gave a startled gasp. The man wiped his gloved hand over his own face. "That's disgusting." He snarled. The man looked down at the river they were floating above. "You're going to regret that."

Vegeta grabbed the other band of Gohan's armour and he started to turn in circles, whirling Gohan around in the air. "Why don't you cool off!" Vegeta yelled as he threw Gohan down towards the water.

The man watched with some satisfaction as the young half-saiyan was swallowed by the water instantly. Waves were created by the impact of Gohan's body.

Ten minutes later, Vegeta was sitting near a recently awaked fire. The man was roasting a fish. His head turned when a complaining and cursing half-saiyan crawled onto shore.

"Took you long enough." Vegeta stated before he took a bite from the fish he pushed onto the small stick.

"You're such a jerk." Gohan snarled as he got up. The boy stepped closer to the fire and sat down near it, extending his hands towards it. Vegeta nodded to a long stick that was stuck in the dirt. It was hanging near the fire, not close enough to catch fire, but close enough to roast the fish that was penetrated by it.

Gohan nodded in response to show that he understood. They were at a seize fire. They could rest for a while and get their strengths back up before they continued their fight.

Vegeta glanced up at the half-saiyan. The young warrior was covered in wounds, big and small. The boy's hair was sticking up even more than usual.

The man studied the young warrior. That kid was unbelievable. He was so young and already stronger than Vegeta, who was at least twenty-five years older. How did that boy get so strong in such short time?

Vegeta could still remember how he first transformed himself. At the time, he assumed that is strength was immediately out of Gohan's reach. That it would take Gohan years and years to catch up to him….

****** Flashback ******

_Two years ago, the two saiyan warriors were caught in a high-intensity spar. Vegeta obviously had the upper hand. The man landed more punches on his assistant and avoided getting hurt. Gohan finally managed to block one of the man's punches. The twelve-year-old moved back to avoid being punched again. The young warrior whirled around in the air and kicked Vegeta's cheek._

_Vegeta was forced to stumble back. He narrowed his eyes and retaliated by punching Gohan again. The half-saiyan fell to the ground. Gohan breathed heavily as he leaned on his hands. _

"_You're too weak." Vegeta snarled at the young warrior as he kicked Gohan's face. Gohan fell back, landing on his back. Vegeta growled as he turned away from the young warrior._

_The man clenched his fists. "Why…" He snarled. "Why have I not yet reached the super saiyan level?" He complained. "I am strong enough. I must have overpowered Kakarot by now." _

_The man turned back to Gohan. Vegeta grabbed the half-saiyan by his front collar and pulled him up. "What is the secret?" He snarled in Gohan's face. "What did your father do to reach that level?" _

"_How am I supposed to know?" Gohan responded. The half-saiyan frowned up at his boss. "If I knew how he reached it I would have transformed years ago!"_

_Vegeta released the half-saiyan, pushing him back, before he stepped away. The half-saiyan got up but he didn't attack Vegeta again. The young warrior never attacked Vegeta unless Vegeta attacked him. It was Gohan's little stubborn tendency to show that he wasn't there because he wanted to be. _

_The saiyan prince growled as he clenched his fists. Why…. Why could he not reach it?_

"_What does it matter anyway?"_

_Vegeta turned around and noticed Gohan had gotten up. "What are you saying, boy?"_

_Gohan was glaring at him. "You're the strongest warrior in the universe. Freeza is dead. My father is dead too. You don't need to transform." _

_Vegeta turned to Gohan fully. "You're still alive."_

_The half-saiyan shrugged. "That was your decision." _

"_Exactly." Vegeta stepped closer to the half-saiyan. "Whether you live or die is my decision because I am stronger than you. That's why I need the transformation. Once I transform I will be out of everyone's reach, including yours." _

"_Or I'll just transform along with you." _

_Vegeta laughed. "You're a hybrid. You don't have enough saiyan blood in you to complete the transformation." _

"_I doubt it works that way." _

"_I don't care what you think." _

"_Then why are you still talking to me?"_

_Vegeta turned away from the half-saiyan. The man growled in annoyance as he thought about all the things that he'd been through. All the fights he had. All the training he'd done. Why…. Why could he not reach the transformation? _

_The saiyan prince gasped when a force pressed against his back. He felt a heat unlike he'd ever felt before, pushing through his body, burning his flesh, tearing at his meat. The man fell forwards, face down._

"_What the hell…" Vegeta muttered. _

_Gohan clenched his fists. "What if you die right here, huh?" The young warrior powered down again. "If you die here nobody will know how hard you worked. Nobody will know that you almost reached the super saiyan level or became the strongest warrior alive. They'll only remember you as their suppressor, the man who brought down entire civilizations for his own gain." Gohan stepped closer. "They will only speak of you as that jerk they loved to see dead. Nobody will care about your strength."_

"_You blasted me…" Vegeta groaned out. He could feel blood dripping from his body. The pain almost made him pass out but he held onto his consciousness. "You attacked me… From behind…" _

"_And I almost killed you. It doesn't matter that you're stronger than I am. I certainly could care less. Why should anyone else care?" _

_Vegeta clenched his fists as he got up. "I do." He responded. The man's limbs were shaking as he pushed his body up. "I care. All my life I knew I was meant to become the strongest warrior in the universe. I was supposed to be the one who reached the legendary super Saiyan level, but someone else did it before I could do it."_

_Gohan watched as Vegeta shakily got up. Blood was dripping down the man's legs, creating puddles on the ground. "I am the prince of all saiyans. It doesn't matter what other people think of me. This is something I want to do for myself! I am a saiyan and I will be the strongest man in the entire universe!" Vegeta clenched his fists and powered up. "And there is nothing you or Kakarot can do about it!"_

"_You can't do it!" Gohan screamed at the man. "Only saiyans with a pure heart can transform."_

_Vegeta was beyond reason. He widened his eyes in anger. His power-level shot up and he clenched his fists so tightly that the fabric of his gloves ripped and his fingernails penetrated his skin, creating small trails of blood. Gohan stepped back when he was pushed back by the sheer power of the man._

"_I am the last full-blooded saiyan." Vegeta screamed. "And I will reach that level! It's a matter of principle… A matter of pride. I will succeed!" The man screamed once more, powering up so much that the lights in the room flickered._

_Gohan's mouth was wide open as he watched something that he'd seen once before. The man's muscles tightened and grew. Vegeta's whole body grew in size if only a few inches and his hair flickered to a golden colour._

"_You did it." Gohan whispered. _

_Vegeta opened his teal eyes. The man realized it too. He felt different. Stronger. The man laughed loudly, despite the pain in his body._

"_You see, boy. I am the strongest warrior alive." Vegeta stated as he eyed the young warrior. "And all that matters," He pointed to Gohan, "is that people like you know that." _

****** Present Time ******

Back in the present, Vegeta lowered his gaze to the fire. At the time he thought himself invincible, but Gohan's earlier attack damaged him to such an extent that he almost fainted afterwards.

At the time, he wondered whether Gohan would attack him again. The half-saiyan could have finished him off right then and there, but Gohan didn't do it. The young warrior offered to help Vegeta to a rejuvenation tank and he did so. When Comora asked why Gohan decided to help Vegeta, the young warrior only shrugged and said that they made a deal. And Gohan was not one to break his word.

After eating and freshening up, the two warriors were at it again. Gohan moved back to avoid Vegeta's punches. The half-saiyan tried to find a gap in Vegeta's defence but the man was a very difficult opponent.

Vegeta was obviously still enjoying his recent victory while Gohan desperately wanted to have his revenge. The two warriors kept their eyes on each other, making sure they could predict each other's movements by keeping track of each other's eyes.

Gohan used his energy to push Vegeta back. The young warrior put his hands together and created a circled by pushing his two palms against each other and touching his fingers. An opening was seen between his hands.

Vegeta frowned as he looked at Gohan's hands. What the hell? Gohan's hands lit up until a beam emerged from his hands. Vegeta was too surprised to react. The beam seemed to be made up of circles, following each other as they rushed towards their opponent.

Vegeta was hit by the beam and he felt as if his body was paralyzed. The man tried to move his limbs but with every hit from one of those blue circles he could feel his body tightening up more and more. The man looked up and he realized that Gohan was gone, but the circles were still coming from the place where Gohan used to be.

Before he knew what happened, the point of Gohan's boot was buried in his spine. Vegeta let out a scream as he was pushed forwards. The man could feel how a blast was sent into his back. This kid needed to learn how to not overdo his attacks.

Vegeta slammed into the harsh surface. He growled as he pushed his tired body up. Gohan was floating up in the air, smirking at his handiwork. The young warrior watched as Vegeta stood up.

The man growled. "That's a new technique!" He screamed at the young warrior. "You learned a new technique without telling me!"

Gohan put up his hands. "Hey, you can't expect me to stay idle when I'm on a mission." He stated sweetly.

"That's it!" Vegeta snarled. "You're dead!" The man flew up until he was floating in front of Gohan.

"Come and get me." Gohan taunted in response.

The two warriors attacked each other head on, ready for yet another few hours of constant battle.

The following day, Gohan and Vegeta were sitting near a recently awakened fire.

After one particular harsh battle, the two saiyans decided to take the night off so they could recover. The two warriors were covered in many different wounds, all open and bleeding.

"Did you know the boy was developing a new technique?" Vegeta glared at the projection of Comora. They took a small communication device so Vegeta could check up on the ship's proceedings once a week.

"I was aware of that, sir." Comora nodded slowly. He studied the solo sessions of every soldier in his squad so he could give them tips later on.

"And you didn't think this would be something I would want to know?" Vegeta growled. Gohan glanced sideways to the projection. He was stitching a large gash in Vegeta's upper arm. Gohan's wounds were already stitched and treated. Vegeta was the kind of leader who insisted on giving his subordinates medical treatment first. It was one of the reasons why Gohan respected Vegeta.

"I only discuss the solo sessions with the soldier in question, lord Vegeta." Comora responded. Gohan sent the man a grateful smile.

Vegeta let out an annoyed sound. "Fine." He snarled. "Tell me, did the solar-energy swap go well?"

Comora nodded and he proceeded to report how the swap went. The entire outer side of the ship was made of solar-equipment. It absorbed the sunrays of the closest sun and turned it into energy. There were also several batteries floating around pretty much every sun in Vegeta's part of the universe. Every time Vegeta's ship passed one of the suns, they would haul in the full batteries from the solar-equipment that were floating around the sun and replace them with empty batteries.

Gohan listened to the conversation while he patched up his master. He gently dabbed an in cleaning alcohol soaked swab against Vegeta's wound. After this he moved on to a cut on Vegeta's shoulder. He was used to quietly working while Vegeta conversed with someone else.

After a brief run-through of all the affairs going on on the ship, Vegeta said goodbye to Comora and the communication device was switched off. Vegeta was silent for a moment while Gohan moved to his other side and knelt down there.

There was a large cut right below Vegeta's shoulder blade. Gohan briefly wondered how it got there. Was he responsible for it? He could not remember doing it at all. The young warrior shrugged before he went to clean it.

Vegeta felt Gohan's rough fingers on his back. The sting of the needle as it penetrated the already sensitive skin around his wound. The smell of the cleaning alcohol was thick around them. Gohan always made sure to disinfect everything every step of the way. It was a good quality in a healer and Vegeta knew he could trust Gohan's skills.

The saiyan prince thought back to the conversation he had with Comora on the ship. He promised his second-in-command that he would speak to his assistant. Vegeta considered emotions annoying and a waste of time, but Gohan seemed to be controlled by them.

Then again, the boy was still young, wasn't he? Vegeta frowned as he stared at the fire. How old was the boy? Early teens? Vegeta tried hard to remember Gohan's age. He did not know Gohan's birthday. That's because the young warrior wanted to keep it a secret. He did know that and he could understand it. Gohan didn't own much. Therefore, the simple joy of knowing something that others did not know was important to the young warrior.

Early teens. Vegeta concluded. It did not really matter anyway. Vegeta knew more about the boy. The man considered this for a moment. He knew Gohan was good friends with most slaves on the ship. The boy was good friends with Tobney. Those two idiots deserved each other…

Gohan and that particular female slave… What was her name?… He could not remember. He would have to keep an eye on her. Gohan might deny it or even not be aware of it yet, but Vegeta knew that there was something going on there.

"Boy." Vegeta started. He was pleased to realize that Gohan's hands did not stop or even hesitate in response to his voice. The boy kept working at the same pace.

"Sir?"

"What age are you?"

"Thirteen, sir."

Early teens. He knew he was right about that. Vegeta allowed himself a small smug smirk.

"Why do you ask, sir?"

"No reason." Vegeta was silent for a moment while Gohan cut off the wire and disinfected Vegeta's wound once more. "Comora addressed something while we were training the other day. He said that your behaviour changed."

"My behaviour, sir?" Gohan pulled back and gathered the equipment.

"Do you remember your breakthrough?"

"Of course." Gohan got up and put the small box in his armour pocket.

"We might have made some extreme decisions at the time." Vegeta said slowly. Gohan stepped over the branch and sat down next to Vegeta. The boy extended his hands to the fire. "Did that fight alter your opinion about the members of the Suta Team?"

Gohan hesitated. "I'm not really sure I understand your question, sir."

Vegeta frowned. He wasn't good at this talking thing. "The Suta Team fears that our actions might have damaged your trust in them."

The half-saiyan was silent for a moment before looking up. "The fire is dying. I'll get some more wood." The boy was about to get up but Vegeta placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

"Don't avoid my question." Vegeta responded, sounding so annoyed that Gohan decided obedience would be the best tactic right now.

The young warrior shifted on the branch uncomfortably. "I will admit that I was shocked by your behaviour." Gohan admitted slowly. "I didn't think you would take it that far."

Vegeta stared at the fire. "We didn't plan to go that far, boy. I didn't mean to shock you." The man hesitated but decided to continue. "I don't want to lose a soldier who is so fruitful to my army."

"A soldier like me?" Gohan asked, glancing sideways.

Vegeta took a deep breath. "A soldier like you." He relented. "I won't kill you." The man shrugged. "Without a valid reason that is."

Gohan showed a small smile. "That's good to know."

"So, you can now stop overreacting." Vegeta growled as he tossed a stick in the fire. "Go back to your normal annoying, disobedient and bad-mannered self."

The half-saiyan nodded as he tossed his stick in the fire too. "I'll try." He said, an amused glint in his eyes.

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

Gohan raced closer to Vegeta and kicked the man's head. Vegeta put up his arm to block the punch. He felt his arm winch against Gohan's power. The super half-saiyan moved down and punched into Vegeta's stomach. The Saiyan prince was temporarily stunned, taking punch after punch as he gasped in pain. Gohan directed his last punch upwards, upper cutting the saiyan prince.

Vegeta glanced down and brought up his knee. Gohan did not see this coming and the man's knee bounced against his chin, forcing Gohan to fall back. The two fell apart for a moment. Gohan created blasts in his hands. He sent them, one after the other, attacking his master viciously.

Vegeta blocked one, deflected the next one, but he could not avoid the third one. Gohan saw a sign of weakness and he kept going, pushing one blast after the other against Vegeta's body. The man finally jumped up in the air, out of the line of fire. Gohan narrowed his eyes as he looked up, following Vegeta with his eyes.

Vegeta put his hands together above his head and threw a blast down towards the young warrior. Gohan deflected the blast. He was momentarily distracted by the attack and before he knew it a punch threw him down.

Gohan managed to block the following punch. The two warriors exchanged punches and kicks on high speed.

"Power up!" Vegeta screamed at the young warrior. "Show me your true power!"

Gohan dodged a punch and blocked the next one. He returned a few punches but none of them managed to hit Vegeta. The man caught two of Gohan's punches and held the boy's fists. Gohan looked up at him. "Or are you just another push over? A one-time wonder?" Vegeta taunted while Gohan tried to pull his fists free from his grasp.

"No!" Gohan screamed back. He powered up and managed to free his limbs from Vegeta's grip.

"Show me what you're made of!" Vegeta snarled in response as he gave Gohan a push. The half-saiyan stumbled backwards. "Show me that you're worthy of the saiyan name!" He pushed Gohan once more. "Show me that you're more than just another pathetic weak brat!" The last push forced Gohan back.

Gohan clenched his fists and powered up. He would show Vegeta. He would show the man just how weak and pathetic he was. Gohan powered up so high that he could feel his body starting to protest. His entire form heat up as he felt his energy flow through his body. The young warrior's eyes widened to such an extent that Vegeta momentarily wondered if they would pop out of his head.

"Yes…" Vegeta muttered softly. "Power up, weakling!" He screamed, hoping it would add to Gohan's anger. "Or are you just another failure? A waste of space? Useless!"

"No!" Gohan screamed back. "I'm…. not… useless." He gritted his teeth. "I'm not weak!" The young warrior was aware of everything around him. The electricity in the air. The blood rushing through his veins. His already golden hair started to spike up even more. His muscles bulged and grew.

"Really?" Vegeta taunted, a laugh in his voice. "Cause you're looking pretty weak to me!" He never realized that being called weak pushed Gohan's buttons, but he was happy to accept it as a trigger.

Gohan let out a scream as the power in his body became too much for him. He had to control it. It could not slip away from him this time. Gohan tried to concentrate on containing the power inside his body instead of letting it slip out. He groaned and grunted, focusing on his energy, until it stayed.

Gohan let out a final gasp and he stood up straight. The boy looked at his hands. Electricity was crackling around him. The boy's hair was standing up straight, pushed up by his energy. His teal eyes focused on his master.

"I did it." Gohan whispered. The boy grinned widely and jumped up and down in the air. "I did it!" He yelled cheerfully.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you did." He responded. "Now let me fight a super saiyan two." He grinned as he studied the young warrior. This was going to be a fight to remember.

Gohan returned his grin. "Sure!" Gohan responded. Who was he to refuse a man his beating, right?

****** DBZ **** DBZ ******

The Yuna Trial had been difficult but rewarding, Gohan reflected as he pulled on a clean white boot. He was happy to be able to wash his body properly again. The young warrior had an amazing shower. Being clean was such a wonderful reward.

The young warrior managed to transform and he was able to maintain the transformation as he fought his master. Two hours was his max and he lost consciousness afterwards. However, Vegeta seemed satisfied.

Gohan met Vegeta in the man's office. The room was relatively dark, only lit up by a small lamp on the man's desk. Vegeta was just pouring some wine into a glass.

The man handed one glass to Gohan. As he was turned away from the half-saiyan, he did not notice how Gohan smiled at the glass. He felt similar to when the Suta Team offered him a beer after the completion of his first mission. It was their way of saying that he now really belonged to the team. Gohan looked up and wondered if this was the moment that Vegeta really accepted Gohan as a saiyan and as his equal.

"To a successful trial." Vegeta said as he tapped his glass against Gohan's glass.

"To a successful trial." The half-saiyan agreed and took a sip from his glass.

Vegeta placed his glass on the windowsill. "I usually give my soldiers some sort of reward after a particular triumph." He stated. Gohan glanced sideways at him. "I don't see why this should be any different." The man was silent for a moment. Gohan sipped from his wine. "Therefore, I will allow you to make one wish."

"A wish?" Gohan repeated.

"I will grant the wish if I can." Vegeta responded, nodding.

Gohan crossed his arms over each other and made a thoughtful face. Vegeta turned to the large window and picked up his glass again, sipping from it as he studied the darkness of the universe.

"I know."

"Already?"

Gohan nodded so Vegeta turned to the young warrior. "Go ahead."

"Freedom."

Vegeta's mouth tightened for a moment. "Whose?"

"Can I get freedom for two people?"

"Don't push it."

Gohan lowered his gaze. There were several people whom he wanted to grant freedom. Tobney, Kishi, Sianna, Stirania, Dende, the list went on and on. He could only choose one person. As he thought about it, the decision became clear to him. There was only one person who could still build a live after slavery. There was only one person who still had a planet and a family to go to.

"Dende." Gohan responded, looking up.

Vegeta considered this name for a moment. "The Namekian?" Vegeta asked. Gohan nodded in response. "Okay. Namekian's are difficult to sell anyway. He's free to go and he can never be enslaved again. Not by my army that is."

"Thank you." Gohan grinned as he thought that Dende could now finally go back to planet Namek.

Vegeta turned to the window. He placed his hands on the windowsill and looked down at it. "Why didn't you wish for your own freedom?"

"It crossed my mind." Gohan responded, lowering his gaze. "But… what is to stop you from purging planet earth if I return there? Besides, Dende is here because of me."

"So?"

"I built a life on this ship. I have friends. People who count on me." Gohan responded as he looked up. "If I went to planet earth now I would only be training all day because I knew we could be attacked someday. Now I know planet earth is safe."

Gohan nodded slowly. "I belong here now." The half-saiyan showed a grin. "Besides, what would you do without me?"

Vegeta laughed. "I would be bored to death."

**The End**

**I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**An Author's Note will be posted on this story once the first chapter of Slave Soldier 2 is updated.**

**Until then!**


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